A reluctant return
by Laura 001
Summary: It is four years after the war and a married Hermione and Draco are forced to return to England from their home in France. How will everyone react when they see the two? Will friendships survive, strengthen, or will they be torn asunder?
1. Chapter 1

Hi All!

This story is about 36,000 words total and a new chapter should be posted every few days. I will be doing final checks to the chapter before I post each one, but do let me know if you notice any grammar/punctuation errors and I will go back and fix them up.

A few **warnings** : cheating/assault (not between HG/D), false accusations, dark magic use, steamy scenes, AU (one AU bit being - let's just pretend there was a pretty bit of magic which ensured no-one died in the final battle): I tend to gloss over details, but the issues are mentioned. Also, as people who have read my other stories will know, Ron is not a favourite of mine and can be portrayed as greatly less honourable: that's all I'm saying without giving too much away. This is a Draco/Hermione story, so the majority will focus on them. Also, this is not a Harry/Ginny story. **  
**

Hmm... what else, I suppose that is pretty much it. I hope you enjoy this story, the mystery and the HG/DM interactions.

So, onward with the story! Hurrah!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Hermione stood in front of the bright kitchen's fridge, staring at the food unseeingly and wringing her hands as she mentally went through her list.

'You'll do great,' came the voice of her husband from behind her. He wrapped his toned arms around her and squeezed her tightly. A sweet kiss lightly brushed her cheek.

Hermione melted into his warm arms as she continued to squish her fingers. 'It will be very different from France, I won't know all St Mungo's preferred protocols or—'

'You will be brilliant, I know it,' he replied with conviction.

Hermione blew out a rush of air and smiled, craning her neck so her lips captured his.

She counted her blessings as she kissed him, thanking destiny again for crossing her path with Draco's in France two years ago. Her fate colliding with Draco's, was the best thing that had happened to her since she received her letter from Hogwarts at the tender age of eleven. And a definite improvement on the prior few years.

* * *

 _She had moved to France after a period of, as she termed it, misfortune._

 _When she had travelled to Australia with the intention of restoring her parents' memories and begging their forgiveness, she was devastated to learn that they had died from a drop bear attack: blaming herself for sending them to the dangerous land on the opposite side of the globe and not changing their accents, she had quickly returned to England with red-eyes and a fragile heart._

 _Upon arriving at the Burrow to tell the Weasleys, Harry, and her boyfriend, Ronald, what had happened, she was confronted with the image of Ronald and Lavender on the lounge floor, entwined and naked, in the throes of awkward intercourse. Ron had insisted it was a misunderstanding and a mistake; she, of course, didn't believe him and dumped the naked man immediately. The slow fumbling sex she had witnessed was clearly not a misunderstanding: although Lavender had probably considered it a mistake as she tried repeatedly to correct his position. Hermione had then left the Burrow, intending to return around supper time when others were likely to also be around: she may have broken up with Ronald, but the rest were like family and she didn't want to lose them too._

 _When she arrived back at the Burrow that evening, she was surprised that she had apparated onto the edge of the property. Unable to enter through the wards, she had cast her patronus to alert the others to her arrival and current predicament of being stuck outside the wards._

 _Molly, Arthur, Ronald, Harry and Percy had strode out (the rest now living elsewhere) and told her she was horrid for crushing Ronald's heart for no reason and she would regret treating him so poorly. Hermione had tried to explain the error, but they refused to listen: Molly shouting over her that she was no longer considered a member of the family and they never wanted her to contact them again. She had stayed in_ _The Leaky Cauldron_ _for a month, sending letters to them all, trying to explain, but her letters returned as confetti and the Burrow wards were never re-altered._

 _Fortunately, the whole family had not abandoned her. Unfortunately, none of those people willing to listen, lived within easy reach. Ginny, who thought it was about time she dumped her brother as they were clearly poorly matched, was finishing her final year at Hogwarts. George and Fred, who were overseas hunting for rare ingredients to experiment with, had responded that Ron was a twerp and she was well rid of him. Charlie, at the Dragon reserve in Romania, said Molly had decreed that the family cut all contact with her; he said his mother was clearly being irrational and that she was welcome to visit anytime. Bill, in Paris with Fleur, had suggested she move to France and get a fresh start._

 _She had taken Bill's advice with some trepidation and some relief._

 _Bill and Fleur helped her to find a place to live, perfect her grasp of the lilting language, and encouraged her to apply for a two year healer training program._

 _She keep in touch with all of them, except Ginny; the younger girl having stopped replying to her letters after two years._

* * *

Draco leaned away from the kiss and sat her at the table, placing a steaming black coffee and plate of food before her.

Hermione breathed in the smell of her favourite breakfast. 'Thank you, love.'

'My pleasure. Now, I had better be off to the British Ministry before I'm officially late. Good luck today. I love you!'

'I love you too!'

With a parting kiss, Draco stepped into green flames and disappeared.

Hermione sighed and began to eat in the hopes that it would halt the feeling of scrambling newts in her stomach.

She prided herself on being an excellent healer, so the thought of clambering to learn protocols, procedures and the English words for different medications and materials was one she would have happily done without. Unfortunately, it was preferable to leaving her husband for three months and twiddling her thumbs in their temporary apartment for the duration of the transfer.

 _Stupid moronic French and British Ministries_ , she thought.

The British and French Ministries had been trying to strengthen their relationship since the war. The result was sending their employees on temporary transfers between the ministries to 'share knowledge' and 'forge professional relationships'.

Draco had dodged transferring to England for as long as he could, explaining to the French Minister that it was more likely people would take exception if he showed up in Britain, resulting in worse relations, rather than the desired betterment. The French Minister had waved away his concerns, saying that, as Draco was the second-in-charge in the Département des Mystères _[[translation = Department of Mysteries]]_ , he needed to agree to a transfer of three months.

The couple were unable to support the idea of being away from each other for so long, so Draco had agreed on the provision that a matching transfer was also arranged for Hermione. The French Minister quickly secured her a position in St Mungo's, to Draco's unsurprised dismay, and gave them one week to pack and prepare for the three month move.

Today was to be their first day of work in England, and, in Hermione's mind, the start of the three month countdown.

Swallowing the last of her rich coffee, Hermione tidied up with a wave of her wand. She smoothed her clothes and, after checking her appearance in the mirror, flooed to St Mungo's entrance.

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 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed Hermione and Draco's interactions! If you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Stepping out of the fireplace, Hermione walked with false confidence towards the reception: her shoes padding softly on the ground.

The receptionist, head down, looked swamped with paperwork, so Hermione waited for an acknowledgement before asking for directions.

'What's wrong with you?' the receptionist asked with curtly indifference, head still down.

'Nothing—' Hermione began.

'Then which patient are you visiting?'

'None, I—'

'Then go away, we are too busy to entertain people without hospital business,' the receptionist ordered in a surly tone.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the bent head. _What a lovely place I now work_ _! Such rudeness had no place in a professional workplace, let alone a hospital where people experience massive changes and turmoil,_ she thought.

'I'm Healer Malfoy, and I've just been transferred to this hospital. I was told to report to the reception to be directed to the hospital director,' Hermione finally got out, now that the receptionist had stopped interrupting.

Hermione rolled her eyes when silence met her explanation. 'Can you point me to the director?'

'Humph, fine,' the receptionist grunted, as if she was asking for an impossible task. 'Floor six, down the hall to the right. The director should be in the office with his name on it.'

'Thank you so much for your assistance,' Hermione replied with false sincerity; not bothering with an equally fake smile, given the receptionist's head was still bowed.

* * *

She soon found herself knocking on the director's door.

No answer. _What is it with this place!_

She raised her hand to knock again when someone spoke from a nearby doorway.

'The director is away today. Sick. Can I help you with something?'

Hermione turned to face the voice with relief. A sweet smile was watching her.

'Hannah Abbott?' Hermione asked.

'Yes. Oh Merlin, Hermione Granger?!' Hannah asked.

'Indeed, although it's no longer Granger.'

'You're married! Congratulations! So am I, I married Neville, so it's actually Nurse Longbottom these days, although for friends, like you, it's Hannah.'

'I married Draco Malfoy, so it's officially Healer Malfoy, but, of course, you should still call me Hermione.'

'You married Draco Malfoy!? I did not see that coming,' Hannah replied with widening eyes.

'I don't think anyone could have, but I'm really happy,' Hermione replied, not offended by the other woman's surprise.

'I'll bet: he is hot! And he had a reputation for some serious stamina and prowess,' Hannah added with a sly grin and wink.

Hermione smirked: Draco did have a reputation at school for stamina and prowess that was most definitely accurate, however, they had both been virgins when they started to date in France. His reputation was merely thanks to girls bragging and exaggerating.

'Anyway, why did you need the director?' Hannah asked.

'I'm on a three month transfer while Draco is temporarily reassigned to the British Ministry as part of the whole "love thy neighbour" joy that is the British and French government mottos at the moment,' Hermione replied with an eye roll. 'I need to know where I'm assigned.'

'I can find out for you from Assistant Director Greenwood, come with me,' Hannah offered as she began to walk back down the hall. Hermione immediately followed with a quick 'thanks'.

'No worries. So, you disapprove of the transfer?'

'Our lives are in France and we are happy there. I really don't appreciate the higher ups inconsiderate reorganising of our lives. Added to that, can you imagine how people in the ministry will respond to Draco being there?'

Hannah grimaced. 'Point taken…' Then, in an attempt to lighten the mood, Hannah added, 'At least you can heal him in a jiffy if he gets hurt.'

Hermione snorted. 'I've already done that.'

'What!?' Hannah gasped. 'I thought you only just arrived!'

'Oh, we did. These transfers have been going on for ages. It's actually how I reconnected with Draco.'

Hannah raised an eyebrow, hand summoning information towards herself.

Hermione smiled morosely as she started to recant the story. It was a rather bittersweet memory for the couple.

'I'd only just finished my training program and wouldn't you know it, my first case was Draco! I was determined not to fail – I just wanted to get the job done diligently and professionally… and as quickly as possible. He was unconscious when he was brought in, and I was not looking forward to his insults when he woke, given what we had been like at school. I'm sure you remember. Anyway, I managed to patch him up for the most part, although he was badly injured and would need ongoing rehabilitation. When he stirred, he was really grateful and so polite to me. He even apologised for everything that had happened in the war and at school.'

'I never thought I'd hear that Draco Malfoy knew how to apologise,' Hannah chuckled.

'I know, Merlin knows when he learnt that, but I'll say his apology skills are pretty persuasive. So after I did the initial patching up, I had to monitor him closely, which meant we spent hours together, just the two of us. After the initial stiltedness, we found we actually had a lot in common and passing the time was fun and, eventually, relaxed.'

'Aww! So, how did he get injured?'

'That's where the whole transfer thing comes in. He worked in the French Ministry's Département des Mystères. Apparently, an Auror was escorting a British Department of Mysteries worker, the Auror opened a box they shouldn't have, and Draco was caught in the resulting explosion of dark magic when he tried to stop the Auror.'

Hannah shook her head in exasperation. 'Aurors can be so stupid, I swear we have at least one admitted every week for avoidable mistakes. They just don't think before they act, I think it must be trained into them – automatic reactions when doing anything but investigating. Who was the Auror?'

'Junior Auror Ronald Weasley. He was returned to England for treatment with a rebuke.'

'Your old friend? Well, sorry in advance, but he was always a bit impulsive, and I can't imagine he would have ever listened to Draco.'

'No offense taken, Ronald and I are actually on bad terms. And even if he didn't like Draco, he still shouldn't have being touching anything he wasn't qualified to handle.'

'Was it the accident which caused the rift in your friendship?'

'No, we lost contact about two years before that.'

Hannah offered a sympathetic expression before switching the topic back to Hermione's husband. 'So you started dating immediately in a whirlwind romance?'

Hermione released a light, full-sound laugh. 'No, his rehabilitation lasted a while. When it was finished he asked me out, but I said no.'

'Huh! Why would you do that? Need I remind you: hot, sexy and smart. What on earth was going through your head!?'

'It was too soon. He had only just been released and it wasn't appropriate given I was his healer.'

'Always with the rules, Hermione,' Hannah teased with a smile.

'Some rules are in place for very good reasons,' Hermione countered.

'Just some?'

Hermione gave her a withering stare.

'Okay, okay, I'll admit it; that rule is important,' Hannah gave in good-naturedly.

'Anyway, Draco actually asked me out every week for three months until I finally agreed enough time had passed.'

'Oh, that's so cute!'

'And we've been together ever since, marrying on our one year anniversary. So we are up to two years together.'

'I've been with Neville since we left school, married for six-months.'

'How is married life treating you?'

'Very nicely, Neville's prowess may not have been raved about in school, but it should have been,' Hannah added saucily.

Hermione laughed. _Perhaps being in England for a few months won't be so bad after all,_ she mused.

The two arrived at the office of Assistant Director Greenwood, the assistant director of the hospital. Hannah introduced Hermione to Assistant Director Greenwood, who enthusiastically welcomed Hermione and gave her a quick tour, before directing her to the Emergency Ward: her new workplace for the next three month.

The Emergency Ward's head healer was a lady called Healer Soundleaf.

'Healer Malfoy, welcome to my Emergency Ward, I must say we are simply thrilled to have such a highly-reputable healer joining us, hopefully I can convince you to stay for more than three months!'

 _Not a chance_ , Hermione thought. As soon as three month transfer passed, she would be on the first portkey to France.

'Thank you very much, Healer Soundleaf, I'm delighted you could accommodate me on such short notice.'

'Delighted to! Okay, so here in…'

Hermione listened attentively to Healer Soundleaf go over the Emergency Ward procedures and hierarchy. Hermione was relieved that she would have a decent level of autonomy while she worked, only needing to advise Healer Soundleaf if surgery was required or if a particularly rare case arose.

Hermione's day whizzed by as she handled a range of cases in the sterile Emergency Ward, she took whichever case arrived when she was free, from the simple breaks to continuous vomiting; she was unsurprised to realise that Fred and George's skiving snackbox pranks were still doing well. _I'll have to visit the twins soon_ , Hermione thought, as she administered the snackbox antidote to the vomiting patient.

* * *

 **A/N: Twenty points to Hermione for not smushing the receptionist under her pinkie! If you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Hi All

Wow! I am overwhelmed with all the favouriting and following in such a short time. Thank you! Also a huge thank you for the reviews! As thanks to you all, and because chapter three is quite short, I'll post two today :D

For the reviewers: **Kermit 304** (Thank you so much!); **Sophie Daughter of Ares** and **AliceGI** (Awh! Thanks, I hope you enjoy these two just as much); **Honoria Granger** (Yes, they are frightful dangerous creatures, Hermione should have known better... And thank you for the french fix-up. You will find out about Ginny soon, Harry will be explained later); **LanaLee1** (Thanks for letting me know its all good!); **CrazyPedantic** (Excellent, she is one of my favourite authors, so that is a huge compliment - just so long as mine are different...at least as much as return ones can be! Ginny is explained soon. Thanks for the feedback!).

 **Warning** : bit of a steamy scene at the first bit, if you don't want to read it, please just skip until the next line break.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

When Hermione arrived home, she headed straight for the bathroom to have a long, steamy shower. Her muscles finally starting to relax after the full-on day. As she stood with water cascading down, she heard the front door closing and Draco's voice call through the apartment.

'In the shower,' Hermione called back. _Five… Four… Three… Two… One…_

The bathroom door slid open. 'Hi, honey.'

'Hi, love,' Hermione replied to her husband, who was coming closer to the shower and kicking off his shoes. 'How was your day?'

Draco stepped into the shower, his clothes quickly drenched under the spray, clinging to his toned body. 'Much better now that I am having a shower with you,' he replied. His arms wrapped around her as he kissed her passionately, pushing her against the shower wall and ignoring the water trying to run between their tightly pressed bodies as their tongues began to tango.

Hermione, who had initially tensed when her naked back met the cold tiled wall, relaxed into his embrace. She slowly peeled the sticking clothes off his body. 'You'll never get clean if you keep these on,' she reasoned with a wicked grin.

'How right you are, any other ideas on how I can get clean?'

'I think you will need some soap too,' Hermione replied breathily as she threw the last of his sodden clothes onto the floor by the tub and bent over slowly to pick up the soap.

'Soap, hey?' he groaned as her body rubbed across his when her arms reached around to lather his back.

'Yes, soap.'

'You know what else you can do with soap?' he asked huskily, hands running up her sides and then down her arms, his fingers intertwining with hers and forcing the soap to drop to the ground.

'Hmm?' she moaned as she slipped her hands from his grip and moved them through the lather residue across his chest.

He slid his body across hers smoothly, the bubbles removing all friction. Picking up her leg, he wrapped it around his waist and kissed her again, pressing her against the cool wall once more: his body twitching as her moan reverberated in his mouth.

* * *

'So you didn't elaborated on how you day was,' Hermione prompted Draco as they cooked dinner together later that evening.

'Ups and downs, the shower being a decided up,' he added with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes, so he continued, 'Most of the people I met in the Department of Mysteries were fine after the department head, Horthworth, arranged a welcome morning tea and explained how happy he is to have me and how grateful he is that I was finally persuaded to transfer for three months, after that they all seemed okay. Or, at least, the dirty looks stopped. Outside the department, mostly just dirty looks and occasional muttered comments. I haven't seen Potter or the overcurious orang-utan yet, although I daresay I can guess how that will go,' Draco said, twisting his lips into a grimace. 'There are some interesting projects in the department, I wish I could tell you more…'

'Pity the family included confidentiality in France doesn't extend to me here as well. Can you at least tell me if any of it will be highly dangerous?'

'Everything should be in the hands of qualified people, I don't know everyone's backgrounds yet, but, I daresay, that Horthworth assigns projects appropriately.'

Hermione grimaced, well aware of how dangerous the objects that Draco tended to work with could be. 'Please be careful.'

Draco leaned over and rubbed her hand with his larger warm one. 'I will, I promise.'

Hermione gave him a grateful smile and kissed his cheek, then she tapped him out of the way with a swing of her hips to get in front of the stove. 'You have to keep stirring this,' she said with a scolding smile as she picked up the wooden spoon and twirled it around the pot.

'If you let me use that spell I know, then I wouldn't have to,' Draco replied with affectionate exasperation.

'I have never found that spell in a book! Who knows what it will do,' Hermione countered, pointing the wooden spoon at him.

He guided her arm back to the pot and she continued to stir the bubbling mixture. 'I keep telling you, one of the house elves at the manor gave it to me when I was a kid, its fine.'

'I know they wouldn't hurt you, but what if the spell is keyed to that particular house elf and it uses the elf's magic every time you say the spell.'

'What if I found the house elf, given we are now in England, and checked if it receives any negative effects from me using the spell.'

'But you can't test that without using the spell!'

'I'll just ask. If it knows the answer, then I won't need to test it.'

'Fine,' Hermione huffed, knowing she was probably wrong in this instance, and that she was just being stubborn because she liked spending time with him in the kitchen.

Draco sent her an amused smile and began to set the table.

* * *

 **A/N: So what do we think of Draco/Hermione interactions? If you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Hermione and Draco's first week working in England passed quickly.

Draco had grudging acceptance from the people in his department, although he did continued to receive glares and nasty comments from those outside it. He was making quick work with the projects they assigned him, able to clear up three cases where his British counterparts had been stuck for over a year.

Hermione was also kept extremely busy in St Mungo's Emergency Ward. Her satisfaction at all her good work, however, was quickly hampered when Healer Soundleaf's deputy, Stevens, who commanded her to work longer shifts and come in on the weekends. She adamantly refused: she had a contract that specified her hours and if she worked the extra time then she would be too exhausted to enjoy her time off with Draco. While her work was important, so was Draco. If they couldn't handle the workload, the hospital needed to either hirer more people or turn patients away.

When she declined the additional work, Healer Soundleaf's deputy had tried to indicate she wasn't a team player and would lose her position. Assistant Director Greenwood had quickly stepped in and brought the deputy to order: apologising to Hermione profusely at the attempted intimidation and letting her know he would be mentioning the incident to Healer Soundleaf, when the head healer returned from her few days leave.

The bright side of working at St Mungo's, was that Hermione had formed a close friendship with Hannah. So much so, that she and Draco had joined Hannah and Neville for dinner during the week, everyone having an enjoyable time. It made the transfer easier, to have friends outside work.

It wasn't until the following week that Hermione's work day became far more interesting than she had anticipated.

Hermione had just arrived back from her lunchbreak when a screaming woman entered, a whimpering child about two years old with a mangled leg in her arms. Two others were rushing just behind the woman.

Hermione immediately jumped forward, as everyone else was busy with patients and the child was in obvious pain.

'Please place the child on this bed so I can examine her,' Hermione said in a smooth, clear voice to the screaming young woman. _Probably the mother_ _,_ she reasoned.

The young woman nodded frantically and gently placed the child on the bed, gathering the little girl's hand in her own and holding it tightly.

'Can you tell me what happened?' Hermione asked in the same tone.

'She managed to climb onto a broom in the attic, I only looked away for a second! I turned around and she was floating out the window. I yelled. I-I must have scared her. She lost her balance and plummeted to the ground. We were at my parents place - it was a really high fall. How could I have been so stupid? I'm a terrible mother!'

'You are not a terrible mother, children are very quick,' Hermione soothed as she drew her wand; now knowing how the accident had occurred, she knew what to look for.

'Don't you dare use your wand on my granddaughter,' a bitter voice ordered from behind her.

'Mum, let the healer work,' the younger woman cried.

'I'm not going to let her touch my granddaughter.'

Hermione heard the inflection and turned to look at the woman ordering her to stop. Red, grey-flecked hair. Round figure. Storm-cloud face. Hermione gasped. 'Mrs Weasley!'

'Like you didn't realise earlier,' Molly sneered.

Hermione looked at the others, finally taking them in. Mr Weasley stood to the side, face pale and lined with creases. Ginny Weasley still held her daughter's hand.

'Mr Weasley, Ginny,' Hermione acknowledged.

The young woman looked up at Hermione and smiled, 'Hermione! It's you, thank Merlin! Can you fix my baby?'

'She will not!' Molly screeched.

Hermione pursed her lips, the child's cries reaching her ears. 'Mrs Weasley, I am the only emergency healer available right now. Either I attend to this little girl, who is in considerable pain, or she will have to wait until another healer is free.'

'Dad, can you take Mum outside? Please?' Ginny asked her unmoving father.

'Of course, Gin Gin. Molly, sweetcakes, come with me.'

'No! Have you all forgotten what she did to Ron!? Who knows what she will try and do to his niece! I will—'

'Stupefy,' Ginny snapped. Molly flopped into her husband's arms. 'Take her outside, Dad, she's getting in the way.'

Arthur frowned disapprovingly at his daughter, but levitated his wife from the room.

Hermione immediately turned back to the child and started to cast spells. After a minute, she said, 'Your daughter has three broken bones and a spiral fracture in her leg. Does she have any allergies or previously diagnosed medical conditions?'

Ginny immediately broke into sobs. 'I'm so sorry, baby,' she muttered between kisses to her daughter's hand.

'Ginny, does she have any allergies or previously diagnosed medical conditions?' Hermione repeated firmly.

'No,' Ginny sniffled between tears.

Hermione said a few more complicated charms and summoned a vial, which she encouraged the child to drink. She then cast some simple disinfecting and minor cut healing charms on the scratches littering the little girl's exposed skin. The little girl smiled up at her as the injuries finally disappeared.

Summoning a second vial, Hermione handed it to Ginny. 'It's a calming potion, you need it after the shock you have just endured,' Hermione explained.

Ginny smiled gratefully and gulped down the contents.

'Your daughter will soon be healed. Keep her in bed for the next three days, after that she can go about life as per usual. I will also give you a prescription for a pain relieving potion which can be given for the next two days; a single dose when she feels the pain, a maximum of once every four hours.'

Ginny nodded, tears now subsided. 'Thank you so much, Hermione.'

'That's okay. Here are a few forms which you will need to fill out to discharge your daughter,' Hermione replied, handing over a clipboard with parchment and a quill.

Ginny started filling in the forms and Hermione gave the little girl a final check-over, when she finished the examination, she offered the girl a choice between a small chocolate, a juice or a hair-colour changing lollypop.

The girl hesitantly accepted the lollypop, laughing when her hair turned blue.

Ginny looked up and smiled lovingly at her daughter when she saw the little girl's hair. 'Your papa is going to be very impressed with your hair colour, did you know that blue was his house colour in school, cricket?'

'Really, Mummy?' the girl asked, speaking for the first time.

'Yes, really,' Ginny replied as she glanced at Hermione. Hermione raised her eyebrow. 'Her father is Terry Boot,' Ginny added.

Hermione was slightly surprised that it wasn't Harry's child. But then she recalled a tear-stained letter from Ginny, that she received shortly before she had left England for France, which had mentioned her splitting from the former love-of-her-life, Harry:

 _I can't believe we actually broke up! But it is for the best. We both agreed that. After being forced apart by the war, I think it was nice for us both to be able to date without fear and have a bit of normalcy again. But, while I still hugely admire Harry (except his stupid decision regarding you) – I think that the war has changed us both too much. And our love isn't the passionate kind it once was, it's now more akin to friendship and companionship. When I see him each weekend in Hogsmeade, I don't tingle with excitement. I don't count the moments until I can see him again. I don't miss him during the week. While companionship is nice, I want to feel that __passion_ _again - and it just won't reignite with Harry. Harry actually looked a little relieved when I mentioned it. We will stay friends, and I don't think it will be awkward. Now I just have to tell mum… she is going to be furious! I think she had actually already started planning the wedding… not that we were engaged. I'm going to tell her in person next weekend. If you don't hear from me in the next month, please send a search party to collect my dismembered body pieces from around the Burrow!_

'My baby was a delightful surprise from our third date,' Ginny added with a serene smile. 'Terry and I live together, which works... and we do love each other. I was only at the Burrow to clean out some of my old things from the attic. She is ever so curious, and I can't believe how quick she is!'

Glancing at the little girl, who was enthusiastically licking the lollypop with her eyes focused on her blue hair, Hermione offered, 'Your daughter is adorable.'

'She is,' Ginny sighed. 'I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. How long has it been?'

'About two years.'

'Oh, wow time has flown! I'm so sorry it has been so long! After I found out I was pregnant things were pretty topsy-turvy, I guess I lost track of time.'

'I've heard that can happen when you have a child. And I would also be guilty of losing track of time,' Hermione replied.

'So, are you back permanently?'

'No, I'm just here for three months: my husband was transferred to the British Ministry as part of their sharing expertise process.'

'You're married!? Congratulations!'

'Thanks,' Hermione said smiling contentedly at the thought of her devoted husband.

'Is he French?'

'I suppose by heritage, but not as you are thinking...' Hermione bit her lip, unsure how Ginny would take the next bit of news. 'My husband is actually Draco Malfoy. I met up with him two years ago and we fell in love. We married about one year ago.'

'You married Draco Malfoy! You lucky thing, he is delicious! And the rumours about him in school… phew,' Ginny said, dramatically fanning her face.

Hermione laughed with relief.

'When are you two free to meet up with Terry and me? I need to see wedding photos!'

'So you are actually okay with this?'

Ginny gave a puzzled look. 'Why wouldn't I be? It's your life, who you chose to spend it with is your business. Quite frankly the continuation of feuds does nothing to improve our world or lives, and while Ron was poisoned by him, it's not like he was actually targeting Ron and my brother was fine in the end. I prefer to leave the past in the past and move on. Besides, if you married him, then he has clearly changed, and Malfoy was cleared by the ministry after the war: despite what my orang-utan brother may think.'

Hermione snorted. 'Sorry! It's just that that is what Draco calls your brother.'

'Hmm, see he isn't so bad after all,' Ginny said, tapping the quill to her chin with a grin. 'Oh, here you go, all filled out,' Ginny added as she handed the forms back to Hermione.

Hermione quickly checked the paperwork and said a spell to transfer the information to the official record. 'Great, okay, you are all good to take this little one home. We are free on Saturday for lunch if you want to see those photos?'

'Yes, I think that will work brilliantly - I'll check with Terry and maybe owl you to confirm?'

Hermione jotted her owl directions down on a spare piece of parchment and handed them over. 'I'd appreciate it if you didn't let anyone else have this address; I'm not intending to seek out some people after how they treated me before I moved.'

Ginny wrapped her in a hug. 'My lips and quill are sealed and still. See you soon, Hermione.' With that, Ginny picked up her daughter and the prescription, leaving to find her parents to let them know their granddaughter was fine and that she was going home.

Hermione watched Ginny leave the ward with her daughter tucked on her hip.

 _I should have trusted life got in the way with Ginny: she was always such a good friend with an open mind, I should have kept writing. Oh well, nothing I can do to change the past. I can't believe her brothers forgot to mention she was pregnant and now has a daughter!_

Hermione's thoughts were cut off when an elderly man stumbled into the ward with a pinkie in his hand. 'Help me, my stupid wife splinched me!'

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, Ginny is still a wonderful person, just super busy with a child! I hope you liked the chapter, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out just how to explain Ginny's acceptance of Draco and why she is not with Harry - for those who love a Harry/Ginny pairing, forgive me, but it is necessary.**

 **If you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: A huge thanks again for the following, favouriting and reviews - I'm twitching with eagerness to write.

For the reviewers: **patty cake rocks** [Thanks!]; **Kermit 304** [Excellent to hear!]; **Honoria Granger** [I'm glad you successful are hating her! Hopefully you should enjoy this next chapter where he features]; **arabellagrace** [I did have fun making Ginny stupefy her! I hope you enjoyed that bit as much as I enjoyed writing it]; **AliceGI** [I'm delighted you are good with the Ginny/Harry split - I did agonise over how to work that]; **DubheMalfoy** [Yeah... am I a bad person that that little bit makes me chuckle!?]; and CrazyPedantic [Awh, thank you! And I'm glad you think that of Molly].

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Draco's day was going much worse and he was close to throwing something out of pure frustration. It was just his luck that Ronald Weasley was the Auror in change of paperwork transfers.

'Listen, Weasley, I just need the Auror report on the confiscation of this item,' he sighed. He had been trying to obtain the information since he'd arrived and the Auror Department was being difficult, or, rather, Ronald Weasley was being difficult. 'I've filled out all the forms. All it will take is thirty seconds of your time and we'll both be able to get on with our jobs.'

'I don't think a death eater like you should have the information, it is a bad idea and, as an Auror, I don't trust you,' Ron said stonily.

'You mean your teenage self doesn't trust me. News flash, Weasley, you don't have to trust me, you just need to trust the Minister who transferred me to England to get this sorted.'

'He probably brought you here so we could investigate you. In fact, I'm going to open an investigation into your life here. I will find out what you are up to and you will be in Azkaban soon, maybe I can get you a cell between your dear old Daddy and your Aunt Bellatrix.'

Draco felt a flash of fury as hot as molten lava at Weasley's threat. He quickly smothered it. _Deep breath Draco, responding unprofessionally will just make this worse. You can't make Weasley trust you, just calm him down and have one more go. If he still refuses to provide the paperwork, just report the hold up and threat to the Department of Mysteries Head, Horthworth, he can have Weasley shoved back in his box, the last thing we need is him harassing Hermione._

'Weasley, I am trying to be reasonable, I need the information that I have official requested to do my job. You have no reason, apart from a school yard hatred and bitterness over the accidental poisoning, to deny my request. Are you going to give me the information or should I just stop wasting my time and work on something else until your boss makes you hand it over?'

'I'm not giving you anything, death eater scum,' Ron sneered loudly.

'Fine,' Draco snapped and then he turned and strode from the room full of watching Aurors who were fingering their wands. As he turned the corner, he heard Weasley say, 'John, can you opened an investigation into that prat for me? I know he is up to something, but with our history, if I put it up someone might not take it seriously.'

Draco strode back into the Department of Mysteries via Horthworth's door. Seeing the door was open and his boss was only stirring a coffee, he knocked.

'Draco, excellent work so far! I can't believe you have already resolved so many cold cases. Did you need something?'

'Yes, I just have a bit of a problem with getting some information from the Auror Department. The liaison is Ronald Weasley who I haven't had the best past with, we didn't like each other at school, he accidentally got some poison not meant for him during the war, and we ran into each other in Paris when he escorted one of your team there.'

'Yes, I remember reading about that incident in Paris. What is the issue?'

'I need the Auror report about the confiscation of the Carterate Box: I've filled out all the forms, but he refuses to supply the information because, he says, that ex-death eaters cannot be trusted with the information.'

Horthworth sighed.

'He has also asked one of his colleagues to open an investigation into my life.'

'He what!? Why is he doing that?'

'Our history and that I was a death eater when I was sixteen would be the only reasons I can think of. I haven't done anything to warrant the investigation and, quite frankly, I don't want him to harass my wife when he realises who I married.'

'Right, well that's not on, any of it. I'm going to go up to Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt's office now and have him straighten out this debacle which Auror Weasley is making before it gets any worse. I'm sorry about this, Draco.'

'Thanks, and sorry this had to be brought to your attention,' Draco replied, grateful Horthworth was so quickly onside.

'No, no, you did the right thing, Auror Weasley needs to be reeled in. His position is going to his head if he thinks he can pick and choose who he gives information to and open cases willy-nilly.'

Draco nodded and headed back to his office while his boss stormed upstairs.

Ten minutes later, Horthworth was back and handing Draco the files he had spent hours trying to get from Ronald. 'You shouldn't have any more troubles with that department,' his boss added.

Draco quickly switched back to working on the Carterate Box, the higher priority, for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

 **A/N: So who is curious at what happened upstairs? That will be the next chapter, which I'll post tomorrow...all magic aligning. If you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** A huge thanks again for all the support. You are all wonderful!

For the reviewers: **patty cake rocks** and **arabellagrace** [Yeah, he is - I'm afraid it is a frequent affliction in my stories]; **Kermit 304** [Mwahaha]; **LittlebigmouthOKC** [Oh that's brilliant! Ron the Rat *snigger*]; **AliceGI** [Thank you!]; **DubheMalfoy** [Mwahaha *fingers making a pyramid while I pat my imaginary fluffy white cat*]; **LanaLee1** [Thank you!]; **MalecClaceWessaSydrianDramione** [Thanks!] and **CrazyPedantic** [Nope, not going to answer anything in fear I won't be able to stop myself from giving it all away! But you will get to see Kingsley's reaction in this chapter and a bit of insight into Ron's thoughts].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Ronald Weasley was having a horrid day. It had started with a request from Draco-bloody-Malfoy for information on a dark object. Knowing the ex-death eater was up to no good, he had, of course, refused the request. Also, realising that the evil prat was still interested in Dark Arts, Ron promptly suggested to a colleague, John, that he open an investigation into the former Slytherin.

Only twenty minutes later, John had been called into Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt's office. Coming out half an hour later, a flush-faced John had run into his desk so hard that Ron's coffee spilt all over the paperwork he had been diligently compiling on Malfoy.

'Watch it, John, this stuff is to help with your case!' Ron had reprimanded the higher ranked Auror.

Ron had actually been in the department for a year longer, however a setback in Paris, thanks to the no-good prick Malfoy, had stalled his career.

'Thanks so much for getting me reamed out by Shacklebolt. Next time you want to misuse your authority over some stupid grudge, don't include me.' John stalked away. Ron was certain he had heard the man mutter 'tosser' under his breath.

 _What in hades is going on?_ Ron thought.

'Weasley. My office. Now,' came Shacklebolt's angry voice.

 _Bugger, Shacklebolt's obviously in a bad mood. Too bad he saw me, I might have been able to sneak off to lunch so he could calm down before I met him. I wonder what happened to put him in such a foul mood._

Ron jumped up and headed into the office, sitting alertly in the spare chair.

'Shut the door,' Shacklebolt demanded.

Ron smothered his groan as he stood up and pushed the door. Flopping back into his chair once more.

'I did not invite you to sit.'

Ron looked up startled.

 _Wow, Shacklebolt is in a really bad mood._

Ron grudgingly stood once more, waiting to be invited to sit.

But the invite never came.

Instead, Shacklebolt launched into a lecturing rant about him misusing his position and dereliction of duty.

 _Dereliction, yeah right, I'm the only one to open the file on Malfoy_ , he thought.

As he listened, Ron realised that Malfoy had gotten to Shacklebolt somehow and had made a complaint about him.

 _Okay, so yes, I didn't handed over the files; but Malfoy is dodgy! It's my duty to protect people from scum like Malfoy and that's what I did._

The lecture continued on for another five minutes. Shacklebolt finishing his rant with, 'The Wizengamot acquitted Draco Malfoy of his actions during the war, and you will do well to remember that they are wiser than you. If you don't get over your petty hatred and leave Malfoy alone, you will think your punishment after the Paris incident was a walk in the park. The Department he is currently in, worked very hard to get him transferred, and I will not allow my department to be responsible for a failing in the Britain/France relations again! Do not go near Malfoy, do not investigate Malfoy, do not ask anyone else to investigate Malfoy, and if you ever misuse your authority again, I will make sure you regret it. Am I making myself clear?'

 _Bloody Malfoy!_

'As clear as Veritaserum, sir,' Ron ground out.

'Good. I don't want to hear about such an issue ever again. Now get out of my office.'

Ron bolted out of the office and slumped into his desk. Glancing around, he realised everyone was watching him with wide eyes and judgemental looks.

 _Damn, the stupid door mustn't have closed properly to trigger the silencing spell: everyone heard that! Sodding Malfoy, this is all his fault!_

Ron ducked his head down and saw the damp parchments in front of him. The information he had gathered on Malfoy so far.

 _I'll show everyone I'm right, I just need to prove it. But I might have to do this after work and during breaks - so that Shacklebolt doesn't notice_.

He dried the documents, although some parts were smudged beyond repair. Looking at those sections, he realised it was Malfoy's wife's name and his address. Ron realised they were probably inconsequential, as he could guess the details.

 _Malfoy will have married a rich, pureblood snob without a brain and is no doubt living-it-up in Malfoy Manor_.

Ron formulated a strategy for tracking Malfoy. He would also go down to his office in a few days and check on him there. He'd lull the death eater scum into a false sense of security, make him think that Ron had backed off, hopefully Malfoy will then leave things in easy to find places.

* * *

 **A/N: So what did you think of Ron's perspective? As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** A second chapter for today for today given the last was a short one :) Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

'Hi love,' Hermione called as she entered the apartment.

Draco's head poked out from the bedroom doorway, a grin on his face. 'Welcome home, how was your day?'

'Interesting,' Hermione replied.

'Hmm, interesting good or interesting bad?'

'A bit of both. Ginny came into emergency with her two-year-old daughter.'

'The littlest red has a daughter!?'

'Yes, with an ex-Ravenclaw called Terry Boot.'

'I remember him, good bloke, although not the best with charms. I daresay that will be why he now has a daughter.'

Hermione's laughter reverberated through the room. 'Maybe, thank Merlin we are both good at charms.'

'Hmm, indeed, although I wouldn't object if we weren't.'

'Huh!?' Hermione squeaked as her wide-eyed face stared at him.

Draco blushed. 'I'm just saying that I love the idea of having a family with you.'

Hermione's grin returned as she teased, 'Should I be casting the charm from now on so you don't make a mistake?'

Draco laughed. 'I would never treat you so disrespectfully.'

'I know,' Hermione replied easily. 'I love the idea of having a family with you as well, and I think we are both well placed in our careers at the moment… maybe when we return to France, we can have a proper discussion about starting a family soon.'

'Really!?' Draco asked excitedly.

'Yes, really,' Hermione replied with a chuckle.

'I love you!' Draco cheered as he swung Hermione up in his arms and spun her around until they were both dizzy. Placing her down gently, he started to pepper her face with kisses. 'How about we get some practise in?'

'Mm, well they say practise makes perfect and I have always been a strong believer in that statement. Lead the way,' Hermione replied saucily.

Draco needed no further prompting as he took her hand in his and led her to the bedroom, making good use of the walls on the way.

* * *

'We really need to finish our conversations before you distract me,' Draco said to Hermione as they started to eat their take-away on the sofa - it having been far too late to start cooking when they eventually finished practising.

'I think the distraction was down to you this time,' Hermione replied as she stole some food from his plate.

'Hmm, maybe. So the littlest red?'

'Yes, it turns out the whole getting pregnant and dealing with that and then a baby was why Ginny stopped writing, rather than any other reason.'

'That's good.'

'I was arranging with Ginny for us to meet up with her and Terry sometime. Are you good with that?'

'Sounds great, love,' Draco agreed.

'Ginny will confirm by owl.' Hermione picked at her food for a moment, before putting her plate down with a light thud. Draco, sensing a change in the atmosphere, gave her a questioning look.

Hermione shook her head slightly and then added, 'Molly and Arthur were with Ginny when she arrived, as she had been at the Burrow. I was the only person free, so I needed to treat Ginny's daughter: Molly tried to stop me. She was… rather rude.'

Draco put his plate next to Hermione's and scooted over to wrap her in a hug, 'I'm sorry, love.'

Hermione shrugged. 'Ginny ended up stunning her and telling her father to take Molly outside. I didn't see them again.'

'I know it hurts you, given how close you were to the whole family.'

'It just reminds me that my parents are dead, without even remembering me, and now Molly and Arthur, who treated me like a second daughter, hate me.'

'They are just blinded by what Weas—Ronald must have said. They probably just believed Ronald because they needed to ignore his failings, it was easier for them, no matter how wrong it was. But your parents loved you, and I'm certain they are now be watching over you with their full memories.'

'Do you think so?'

'Most definitely.'

'Thank you, honey,' Hermione whispered, giving Draco a chaste kiss on the lips. 'I love you so much.'

'I love you too,' Draco replied.

The two sat in silence for a while before Draco added, 'It seems that today was the day for Weasley encounters, I had one of my own.'

'Not Ronald was it?'

'It was.'

'Oh dear. Does he know about us?'

'No. I just needed a file from the Auror Department and he was unfortunately on the paperwork transfers. He decided to be difficult, so I spent half my day trying to get the information before I gave up and let Horthworth know the issue. He had the document in ten minutes flat.'

'I had hoped Ronald might have grown up in the last few years.'

'He hasn't. He refused to give me the information because he didn't like me. He also tried to open an investigation into me.'

'He did what!' Hermione snarled in outrage.

'Horthworth sorted that too. Weas—Ronald will probably be in trouble for letting his grudge interfere with his work, so I'm not worried.'

'I would have liked to hear him being chewed out.'

Draco looked at her with raised eyebrows. 'That's not like you.'

'He deserves being taken down a few pegs.'

'I thought you had "forgiven" him.'

'I did, but what he did to you is another matter entirely,' she said with a scowl.

Draco pulled her onto his lap and snuggled his face into her neck. 'You are so hot when you get all defensive over me.'

Hermione preened and turned around to kiss him. The two quickly forgetting the remains of their dinner and their troubles with certain Weasleys' in favour of enjoying various aspects of the sofa.

* * *

 **A/N: The next chapter is on Ron's investigation. As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone for your support! Harry will show up, but this has to happen first. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **Honoria Granger** [Thanks]; **fatyellowrat** [Here is some more :D ]; **arabellagrace** [No, he really didn't]; **Kermit 304** [Thank you so much!]; **LittlebigmouthOKC** [hahaha]; **piglett** [Thanks! He will show up, I promise]; **wintersong1954** [Thank you!]; **LanaLee1** [Yay my story is addictive!]; **CrazyPedantic** [Nosy is good - I'm just terrible at secrets: if I spill one, I will spill them all and then you will know the story before it is posted - noooo! Yes, Harry is: he will show up, I promise!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

The week rushed by and Draco was able to piece together information on the Carterate Box.

The Carterate Box had been confiscated during a raid of an abandoned warehouse, when the Aurors' Dark Arts device activated in its presence. However, as the device they used was known to malfunction and the place was empty, no arrest could be made. An arrest could only occur if they could prove who had used it and the intent to use it was dark.

Draco had managed to confirm that it was indeed created using the Dark Arts within the last thirty years and that it was used to store people's souls. A fact that had cause him and Horthworth to grimace.

Next he needed to work out just how many souls were contained, and if possible, who they were. Once he had found that out, he would be able to determine just what the effect of containing the soul in the Carterate Box was. He wanted to know if the person's body become a shell, like when a dementor sucked out a soul, or if something else happened.

It was now Friday and the Carterate Box was in the Department of Mysteries lab for testing. Given he couldn't work on his priority case, Draco found himself standing in the control room for dismantling cursed objects.

Draco glanced over another file as he considered the bangle in front of him. The jewellery had caused its last wearer to be tortured to death, coming into her possession when she unwrapped the wedding gift and locked it in place around her wrist. The murderer had been caught and convicted - a jealous ex of the groom - and it was now Draco's job to remove the curse from the item, so that it was safe to be auctioned at the next fundraiser. Personally, Draco thought it was rather gruesome to sell off previously cursed jewellery, and that it was just tempting Fate to buy such an item.

As he raised his wand, ready to begin to unravel its complex puzzle, an item in his pocket began to buzz: someone was disturbing his desk.

 _Damn, Horthworth doesn't activate the snooping charm so it has to be someone without authority, I need to see what is going on_ _._

Frowning, Draco levitated the bangle back into its safety container and left the room, striding quickly back to his office.

Draco threw the door open and sneered at the sight before him.

Ronald Weasley, head down, was rooting around in his drawer. Papers had been haphazardly thrown around the room, a few toppled drawers on the floor, contents tipping out.

Draco flicked his wand silently and sent a note to Horthworth that Weasley was searching his office.

 _What a useless Auror - how can he not know I am now also in the room._

Draco slipped his wand back into the holder at his wrist, for easy access.

'What do you think you are doing, Weasley,' Draco snapped.

Ronald jumped, wand lashed out and pointed at Draco.

'None of your business, Malfoy. Now get out.'

'You are in my office, Weasley, so I think it is my business. I am not leaving until you tell me what you're doing.'

'What does it look like, death eater scum.'

'It looks like you are disregarding your orders and continuing to harass me,' Draco replied blandly.

'You are up to something and I will find out what.'

'All I'm up to is dismantling curses on objects,' Draco replied, showing the bangle in its box to accentuate his point, 'which is my assigned job. How about you leave and continue with your assigned job.'

Ronald's eye lit when he sighted the bangle.

 _Bollocks._

Ron lunged for it.

Draco quickly backed out of reach from Ronald's swiping fingers.

'Watch it, Weasley, this is a dangerous object. You remember what happened last time, don't you? We both ended up in hospital. Do not try to touch this object again,' Draco ordered sternly.

Draco could hear footsteps coming closer, the adjoining rattle of metal, alerted him that it was Horthworth who was approaching.

 _Thank Merlin._ _Weasley might not listen to me, but he will listen to Horthworth. I have no desire for a repeat of the Paris incident_.

Unfortunately Ronald obviously didn't mind a repeat: slamming into Draco and knocking him to the floor, Ronald grabbed for the box while his knee dug into Draco's throat. Draco was torn between trying to get Weasley off him to draw breath and keeping the bangle safely in its' box.

Draco vaguely heard a voice shout, 'What's going on in here! Oh, for the love of Merlin—'

Lungs burning, natural instinct won out and Draco focused his energy on getting Weasley off him. Starting to see spots, he finally managed to lever out from under the orang-utan.

Draco sucked in the air with urgency, his eyesight starting to clear. As he began to sit up off the ground, Weasley's weight met him once more, only this time excruciating pain charged through his body.

His mind blanked of all but one thought: pain.

Excruciating pain.

Time disappeared. Seconds or hours, he had no idea what had passed. Draco only knew one thing: right now, he would gladly welcome death if the agony would end.

It didn't.

It felt like he had acid pumping through his body.

Every bone and muscle felt like they were being ripped and snapped into miniscule parts.

His lungs were empty and wouldn't fill.

His mind began to blur, turning fuzzy.

Finally everything faded as blackness took him.

* * *

 **A/N: And now I am going to go and cower in a castle with a really big moat. As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone for your support! And for not storming the castle...too much. As thanks, I'm irritating my partner by posting instead of joining in other things. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **loveroffelton** [Thanks for the feedback!]; **fatyellowrat** [:D]; **cares 1970** [Thank you!]; **arabellagrace** [indeed :( ]; **Kermit** **304** , ****wintersong1954**** , ** **AliceGI** ** and **Honoria Granger** [okay, okay - here is an earlier than planned update :) ]; **MalecClaceWessaSydrianDramione** [Thanks!]; **patty cakes rock** [maybe]; **Chester99** and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [hmm, you raise a good point that I had overlooked - thanks I've added an extra bit to a chapter now]; **CrazyPedantic** [You'll find out if you get your two wishes soon...ish].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Hermione was sitting in the hospital café eating something that claimed to be a soup, but she had her doubts. She drank the burnt coffee with a grimace.

A sterile hospital owl flew towards her and dropped a note in her bowl.

 _Brilliant_ , she thought sarcastically. _And why is the hospital sending me an owl during my lunch break?_

Opening the parchment slowly, Hermione scanned the note.

Dear Healer Granger

Mr Draco Malfoy has been admitted to Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries a short time ago. As his listed emergency contact, we request your immediate presence.

Kind regards

Admissions Staff

 _Merlin_.

Hermione felt a spike of fear erupt in her chest as she scrambled to her feet and rushed to the reception, darting between staff and patients. When she finally arrived, she skidded to a halt at the desk.

The wizard behind the desk looked up at her and eyed her uniform. 'What's wrong with you? It's unprofessional to run in the hospital.'

Hermione growled. The wizard behind the desk blinked at her, eyes wide, and then he slid his chair back slightly.

'Draco Malfoy was just admitted. Where was he taken?' Hermione asked.

'Emergency Ward.'

Hermione hissed and raced down to her regular ward. When she arrived, the scene was chaotic at best. She could see Draco lying pale on a bed, drenched in blood and unmoving. Hermione staggered against the wall for a moment, holding herself up and forcing deep breaths.

 _They are working on him. He is alive. He_ _will_ _live. And then I will kill whoever is responsible for this._

Righting herself, she jumped forward, wand out as she prepared to help. Healer Soundleaf, the head healer on the ward, saw Hermione approach.

'No, Healer Malfoy, you cannot treat your husband. Stay over there and I will keep you updated,' Healer Soundleaf said, pointing to the waiting seats.

'But—'

'No buts, Hermione, you are distracting me and I need to concentrate: go over there.'

Hermione quickly closed her mouth and backed away, not wishing to delay any help to her bleeding husband.

As she sat, Hermione looked around the room and was startled to realise that there were quite a few specialist healers who had been called in. Some were working on Draco and others were crowded around another bed. She saw Mr Horthworth standing between the beds, answering questions.

Hermione itched to help. Sitting on her hands she watched carefully, making sure every spell was cast perfectly and cataloguing all the potions used on her husband in her mind.

Eventually, Mr Horthworth was directed to sit with her in the waiting section. The man looked at Hermione, clearly not recognising her, and sat down with a long sigh.

'Mr Horthworth, what happened?' Hermione asked.

'I'm sorry, do I know you?' he replied.

'I am Draco's wife,' she said.

'Fuck,' he muttered.

'What happened?' she asked again, voice slightly sterner.

'There was an incident.'

'An incident… not an accident.'

The man winced slightly.

'An Auror handled an object he shouldn't have, Draco tried to stop him and the Auror accidently dropped the cursed object on him.'

Hermione controlled her facial features, determined to get as much information as possible from the man before he realised that telling Draco's wife was probably a very bad idea for the ministry and the Auror in question. 'The Auror in question, would his name be Ronald Weasley?'

Horthworth nodded.

'So, Auror Weasley, was in the Department of Mysteries, harassing Draco, and when he saw the object in Draco's possession, he tried to take it. Resulting in the object coming into contact with Draco.'

'Yes,' he answered uneasily.

'How exactly did it come into contact with Draco?'

'I got a message from Draco saying Auror Weasley was searching his office and he needed a hand. I immediately returned to the department. When I neared Draco's office, I heard Draco telling Weasley that it was a dangerous object and to stop trying to grab it. I heard a thump and when I arrived Auror Weasley had Draco pinned under him, knee on Draco's throat. Draco shoved him off, but, in doing so, Weasley managed to take the object. Weasley got the object out of its safety box. Given the object, when Weasley grab the item, it jolted pain through him and he dropped it. It fell onto Draco who was still on the floor trying to regain control of his breathing. Draco passed out: the object tortures people to death.'

At his final words, Hermione paled.

 _Death. Draco wouldn't die, would he?_

No, she would be damned if Ronald Weasley killed her husband. Hermione reverted her attention to Draco's bed, where the hospital's top healers were working feverishly.

 _Please, please, please let Draco be okay._

* * *

 **A/N: Click next, click next, there is another chapter posted, I swear! As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

About thirty minutes later, the healers working on the other bed finished and it was wheeled out to a recovery ward. Hermione glared at the occupant when she saw the tell-tale red hair.

Her attention focused back on Draco. The congealing blood had been cleared away, but fresh blood was quickly replacing it. And Draco was still unmoving.

Tears began to burn her eyes. Salty tracks running down her cheeks and dripping from her chin.

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder, offering awkward comfort. At its weight, Hermione began to weep.

The hours passed and still he wasn't improving. Hermione had long since run out of tears, exhausted, but she was still adding to her running catalogue of charms and potions administered to her husband.

Hermione was soon encompassed in a gentle hug. Glancing at the arms, wondering why Mr Horthworth would now be hugging her after his earlier dismal attempts at comfort, she realised there were four freckled arms instead of two hidden in robes. Following them to shoulders and matching heads, she realised the twins were holding her.

'Fred, George, what are you doing here?' she croaked.

'Well that's a friendly greeting for you.' Fred commented.

'I know, we come all the way down here and that's the thanks we get. Inconsiderate, I tell you,' George added.

'We heard Draco was badly injured at work in the accident with Ron, so we came to see how you were holding up and he was doing,' Fred added.

'They are still working on him,' Hermione said, gesturing in the direction of the tired healers.

'Still! The accident was hours ago, wasn't it?' George exclaimed.

'Yes. They healed Ronald in about half an hour, but because Ronald dropped a cursed object onto Draco, my husband is far worse off,' Hermione explained.

'He did what!?' the twins gasped in unison. They both knew of the Paris Incident, but thought their youngest brother would not be so stupid as to repeat such a horrendous mistake.

'From what I gather, this whole incident is Ronald's doing. At least, according to Mr Horthworth here,' Hermione said with a gesture to the man who, given his now widening eyes, was realising his mistake in explaining everything to Hermione earlier.

Horthworth eyed the red-haired twins and decided it was time to get a coffee. The man stood up and quickly disappeared, only peaking his head occasionally around the doorway to check on his employee every once in a while.

Fred and George sat by Hermione's side for another half hour, until, finally the healers stepped away from Draco. Hermione jumped to her feet, watching closely.

 _Yes, there it is. Draco is moving slightly._

Healer Soundleaf said something to another healer and Draco was floated from the ward on the bed. Hermione started to follow, but Healer Soundleaf held up a hand and approached the patient's worried wife.

'Healer Malfoy, your husband is stable, however we have put him into a magical coma to give his body time to process all the potions and for the charms to take full effect. I except he'll wake in a day or two and should make a full recovery in time.'

'What were his injuries?' Hermione asked.

'He had twelve shattered bones, four ripped tendons, extreme nerve damage, bleeding in the lungs, brain and kidney, ruptured stomach lining, severed spinal cord, fractured skull, three dislocated fingers and a dislocated shoulder, burns to eighteen percent of his body and tests showed the remnants of the Cruciatus Curse. He also had a lot of burst blood cells, a severed eye and burst eardrums.'

Hermione was shaking and pale, only still upright thanks to Fred and George holding her in place.

'I—I…'

'I expect you will be on indefinite leave until your husband is recovered, but he will recover, Hermione,' the healer said, rubbing a warm hand on her upper arm.

Hermione looked up, trying to calm her hyperventilating.

 _So much damage!_ _Draco was lucky to be alive. That amount of injuries, he shouldn't be alive. Ronald. This is his fault. He did this. How dare he! RONALD WEASLEY WILL REGRET THIS! I AM GOING TO—_

'Hermione, deep breaths,' Fred's deep voice broke through.

 _Right, Draco was still healing. Ronald can wait, my husband is my first priority._

'Can I be with my husband while he heals?'

'He won't wake for some time,' Healer Soundleaf replied.

'I know, but I need to be with him.'

'Okay, he is in room 005.'

Hermione winced. The double zero rooms were in the intensive care ward. Despite the encouraging words, Draco was not yet out of the woods.

Hermione started walking in the direction of the ward, the twins trailing behind, arms half out, ready just in case she faltered.

* * *

About three hours later, Hermione was absently nodding along to the twins' conversation as they tried to distract her, when there was a knock and Ginny poked her head around the curtain. Seeing Hermione's tear streaked face, the younger girl immediately rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.

'Hermione, has there been any improvement?'

Hermione glanced at her husband and noticed his even pale features.

'The bruises have lessened. It will be another twenty-one hours before he might wake.'

Ginny nodded and sat down on the arm of Hermione's seat as she kept her arm around the brown-haired woman.

'Fred, George, thanks for letting me know. I saw… the others, on the way here, Mum is looking for you.'

'Okay, thanks, sis,' Fred replied. 'Hermione, we had better be off, but we will be back.'

'Thanks for coming, I really appreciated it,' Hermione replied with a weak smile.

The twins stood up and Ginny followed them outside for a moment. They gave her a full run down of Ron's culpability and the injuries Draco had incurred. Armed with the additional knowledge, Ginny took back the post of supporting Hermione, while the brothers went to find their searching mother.

* * *

 **A/N: Do I need to go back into my castle with a moat now or are we good? As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thanks for the support! And for letting me skulk out of my castle :) Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **loveroffelton** [Well since you have a dragon...]; **arabellagrace** [the answer lies below]; **ellebelle12** [nope, not telling]; **fatyellowrat** [Thank you!]; **cares 1970** [You're welcome]; **Kermit** **304** [No, it just required contact - I think I'll go with the bride clipping it on, activated the curse, which is why she had to wear it before it to take affect]; **AliceGI** [Yeah, poor Draco]; **LanaLee1** [I love writing the twins!]; **DubheMalfoy** [Success!]; **Honoria Granger** [That it is - thanks for the pick up - I'll fix it asap - and thanks for granting my freedom!]; **MalecClaceWessaSydrianDramione** and **negupta88** [Thank you!]; **patty cakes rock** [not Draco?]; **Chester99** [Indeed, the French reaction will come up later]; and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [hahaha].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Hermione refused to leave Draco's side, even when visiting hours finished, glaring balefully whenever someone tried to convince to take a break.

 _Come on, Draco, wake up. It has been thirty-four hours; I need you to wake up._

The chanting eventually worked as his eyelids blinked and a low, scratchy groan released from his lips.

'Draco!' Hermione cried.

He blinked a few more times and turned his head with a grimace to face her voice.

'Hermione?' he whispered brokenly.

'I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I love you so much!'

'Love you too.' He began coughing and Hermione brought a flimsy plastic cup to his mouth. He gulped the cool liquid quickly. 'Thanks.'

He looked around the room.

'Are you in pain?' she asked.

Draco nodded in reply.

Hermione pressed the call button and took his bandaged hand in hers, careful not to put more than a feather of weight on it.

'Where am I?'

'St Mungo's.'

'Bloody Weasley.'

'You remember?'

'Yes. Stupid prat showed his intelligence hasn't increased one iota since Paris.'

'I know. Horthworth told me—'

'How is everything going in here?' a voice interrupted. Hermione was grateful to see the nurse was Hannah Longbottom.

'Hannah, hi, Draco just woke up,' Hermione replied.

'Excellent. Draco, how are you feeling? What is your pain level on a scale of one to ten?'

'Six,' Draco replied.

Hannah summoned a vial and put it in his bandaged hand. 'Drink all of this.'

Draco did so with a wince, arm shaking.

'In a few moments the pain should start to decrease, I'll give you a minute for it to settle in and then I need to give you a check over and run some quick tests.'

Draco sighed and leaned against the pillow, eyes dropping slightly. A minute later, as promised, Hannah was back and checking him over. She changed three dressings but was able to remove the rest completely.

'Okay, you are looking much better, Draco. I have redressed the burns, but they are improving nicely. Your nerve endings are still healing, that will probably take another twelve hours with the potions, try not to move too much until then; that will aggravate the nerves. Everything else is healed.'

Hermione released the breath she was holding, her shoulders relaxing at the news. She offered her husband a shaky smile, but he had drifted off to sleep.

'He needs his rest, Hermione, all that healing takes a lot of energy. But he is rebounding very quickly, astonishingly fast actually,' Hannah reassured, knowing Hermione wasn't likely to be thinking properly at the moment, given the lack of sleep and shock.

Hermione looked at Hannah with a blank face and blinked at her.

'Hermione, you really need to rest. How about I put an extra bed in here so you will be next to him when he next wakes?'

'Yes, thanks, Hannah; that would be really good.'

'I'm happy to, Hermione. Honestly, you are doing far better than I would be if it was Neville in that bed with those injuries.'

Hermione nodded and looked back at her husband morosely.

When Hannah returned with a bed, Hermione levitated it as close to Draco's as she could and climbed in, sleep quickly capturing her drained body.

* * *

Hermione woke refreshed some ten hours later. She slipped out of the bed quietly and freshened up in the adjoining bathroom. When she returned to the room she moved her bed out of the way into a corner and looked at her husband. The colour was finally returning to his skin and the bruises under his eyes had lessened dramatically. She could see he had fresh bandages on his burns; Hermione realised a nurse must have check on him while she was asleep.

The sleep had rebooted her mind, and now, instead of sitting like a stunned mousey wife by her husband's bedside, a fire of fury was kindling in her. Draco could have been killed because the Ministry had failed to put in adequate measure to muzzle an Auror with a childish grudge. She'd be damned if the responsible people got away without punishment for her husband's near death.

Hermione pulled a folder out of her bag and started a new page. She began by detailing the Paris incident, moving on to Ron's previous actions and threat, before finishing with a detailed account of what had happened at the Ministry to cause Draco's current situation; _thank you Mr Horthworth for your runaway mouth_. Hermione had no idea why a man with such a loose tongue was head of the most secret ministry department, but it worked in her favour.

Hermione then began to detail all the obvious mistakes and omissions that were apparent in the three circumstances. She would need more information, but she could bide her time until Draco was released.

She glanced at him and realised he was awake and watching her with an amused smile.

'Afternoon, sleeping beauty,' he said.

She poked her tongue out at him as she stood up and gave him a gentle kiss, 'Good afternoon. How is the pain?'

'It's only about a two at the moment, so about the same as when I dance with you,' he added cheekily. Hermione was a notoriously bad dancer and constantly trod on his toes, although her most impressive failure had been when she had tripped him and sprained his ankle.

'Obviously you are much better,' she replied with a faux scowl.

'Okay, okay, I'll stop picking on you,' he laughed lightly, before his face twisted into one of pain.

'A "two" you said.'

'I may have been a bit optimistic.'

Hermione pressed the call button and Hannah soon appeared.

'In some pain?' Hannah asked.

'Yes,' Draco replied, 'about a four.'

Hannah nodded and summoned a vial: it was of a lighter colour than last time. Draco drained it without question.

'Healer Soundleaf and Healer Wishington, the enchanted objects specialist, will be in tomorrow morning to check if you can be discharged, hopefully they will give you the all clear to go home,' Hannah explained as she ran a few tests on Draco.

'Has anyone from the Ministry been by?' Hermione asked.

'Mr Horthworth is being provided with updates, he came by once when you were both asleep. Auror Shacklebolt requested, and has been receiving, regular updates. Auror Weasley is healed and was released yesterday.'

The quill in Hermione's hand snapped.

* * *

 **A/N: A bit of a calmer chapter after all the distress. In the next chapter, Draco gets an unwelcome visitor in the hospital. As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Thanks for the support! For those eager to know Ron's punishment, some is below. And Harry... my crystal ball says he will make his appearance in two chapters time, at which point he will become much more involved in the story... and I'm much more skilled than Trelawney. You will also get some bits from Harry's perspective in the future. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **ShamelesslyObssessed** [Thank you so much!]; **loveroffelton** [Some punishment is below, hope you and your dragon enjoy!]; **arabellagrace** [Some punishment is below]; **fatyellowrat** [Thank you!]; **Ben** [It's very tempting!]; **cares 1970** [Thank you!]; **Kermit** **304** [Haha, enjoy!]; **AliceGI** [Haha]; **Cat130** [Thank you!]; **LanaLee1** [Thank you!]; **MalecClaceWessaSydrianDramione** [The answer is below, and why - that one is answered later, otherwise I would tell you]; **StBerryFan22** [Thank you!]; **CrazyPedantic** [I was wondering where you had disappeared to :) The twins and Ginny got their information from Ron, which is why they thought accident - Ron's lying habitat is still firmly in place]; **patty cakes rock** [Hope you enjoy the below]; **Chester99** [Haha, good guess, almost right - enjoy!]; and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [Haha, okay some punishment it outlined below].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

The next morning Hermione and Draco were eager to leave the sterile hospital. Healer Soundleaf and Healer Wishington were due to arrive in about an hour, but the couple were hoping that they would arrive sooner.

That morning Mr Horthworth had come by and told Draco to take as long as he needed to recover, and that they looked forward to having him return. If Draco had been irritated at the prod to quickly return to work, Hermione was furious. Draco had been non-committal in his reply to Mr Horthworth; so the man had quickly wished Draco all the best, before beating a hasty retreat under Hermione's glower.

Draco had proceeded to tease her since then, calling her a protective lioness and reminding her that, while he was injured, he was not a cub. Hermione blushed, she was honestly taken by surprise at her protectiveness. Draco, however, continued his teasing; even going so far as to wonder what she would be like when they had children. Hermione had responded by whacking his arm - lightly.

Hermione eventually announced she needed some coffee, burnt if it must be, if she was to wait any longer. Only minutes after she had disappeared out the door, it swung open again. Draco's smile was immediately wiped away when he saw the two who had entered.

'Auror Shacklebolt, Weasley,' Draco said in a clipped tone, face blank.

'Mr Malfoy, how are you doing?' Auror Shacklebolt asked.

'Healing,' Draco replied vaguely. 'But I daresay the hospital's reports to you would have mentioned that.'

'Yes, but I like to check, they can be rather dry and full of medical terminology that I, for one, don't understand,' Shacklebolt answered calmly.

Draco gave a false fleeting smile in response, he didn't have the energy or desire for niceties right now. 'Are you here for a particular reason? I can't imagine this is a social visit considering who is with you,' Draco asked, half wishing his wife would return, half praying to Merlin that she didn't so she wouldn't have to see her ex.

'You are right. Auror Weasley has something he would like to say to you,' Shacklebolt said. 'Auror Weasley,' he added with a stern look.

Weasley looked defiantly at Shacklebolt, but after the man's eyes narrowed, Weasley turned to Draco and said, 'I'm sorry that I accidently knocked the opened box out of your hand and you were accidently injured.'

'Weasley, don't bother with the insincere apology. We both know you didn't "accidently" do anything. You tackled me to get that box, and then you had to use a spell to open it, while you were choking me I might add. Then you managed to drop the cursed object on me. You knew it was dangerous and you shouldn't touch it, I had, after all, just warned you of that fact.'

'You were injured, Malfoy, perhaps your twisted brain has scrambled the events. It was your fault, I was trying to let you keep a reputation as being good at your job, but if you're going to lie—' Weasley was cut off.

'He isn't lying,' came Hermione's cold, clipped voice from behind the two Aurors.

'Hermione? You're in England? What are you doing here?' Ronald asked in surprise.

Hermione ignored Ron's question, continuing as if he hadn't spoken, 'Furthermore, the attack on my husband was witnessed.'

'Hermione, you look wonderful. It is so good to see you! Did you say "husband"?' Shacklebolt said as he turned to Hermione.

She nodded stiffly and crossed the room to stand by the hospital bed, taking Draco's hand in hers, their fingers entwining tightly.

'HUSBAND!' Weasley cried in outrage.

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Yes, Ronald, Draco is my husband.'

'You married this death-eater scum!' Weasley sneered loudly. 'I always knew you were—'

'Auror Weasley, you are not helping your situation,' Shacklebolt abruptly intervened in a severe tone.

'Did you hear what she said!? This stuck-up, mental—'

Draco's snarl was simultaneous with Auror Shacklebolt whipping out his wand and silencing Ronald. 'Go back to the Ministry and wait at your desk, silently. I will talk with you when I return,' the Head Auror snapped.

Ronald hastily departed, still silenced and looking like a thundercloud. Shacklebolt turned back to the couple at the bed. 'I apologise for Auror Weasley. There will be an investigation into this matter, and although the process may take time, I can assure you that Mr Weasley will be dealt with appropriately. When I return to the office, he will be informed he is suspended-without-pay until the investigation is completed.'

'I confess I'm surprised he hasn't been suspended yet,' Hermione ground out coldly.

'He only returned to work this morning, and we needed to bring him here first,' Shacklebolt admitted.

'And what about the fact that no one stopped his harassment? Will that be investigated?' Hermione asked, voice like cut glass.

'I will make sure that will be included in the investigation by the internal affairs department,' Shacklebolt confirmed.

Hermione and Draco nodded; although anger still burnt in Hermione's eyes, she didn't intend to direct it at the wrong person.

'If the investigation is not undertaken properly, or resolved fairly, we will be charging him with assault,' Hermione added.

'Of course, and I can assure you that it will be taken very seriously. I would also like to say, congratulations. Hermione, marriage to Draco obviously suits you well, that is obvious, despite the trying circumstances of the last few days. I wish you both the very best.'

'Thank you,' Hermione replied.

'Well, I have an Auror to suspend, which means an owl load of paperwork, so I had best be off. I do hope you get better soon, Draco.'

Hermione and Draco bid the Head Auror goodbye and he strode out the door. Hermione turned to Draco.

'Why in Hades would Kingsley bring Ronald here?' Hermione asked with a frown.

'To apologise. I daresay Shacklebolt and the Minister are keen to try and smooth this over as much as possible, given I am on loan from the French Ministry,' Draco suggested.

'Did he apologise?'

'Not really.'

Hermione huffed, and opened her mouth, however she was cut off by the entry of Healer Soundleaf and Healer Wishington.

'Are you ready for a final check to be discharged?' Healer Soundleaf asked.

'Most definitely,' Draco replied.

After receiving a check-up, Draco was given permission to leave the hospital, and Hermione efficiently bundled him to their temporary home. Eager to get out of the hospital and back to their apartment to rest without any further disturbances.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, Draco is out of hospital! In the next chapter, we find out the reaction of Draco's French boss. As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Thank you for all the favouriting, following and reviews! You are all wonderful! So, a few have commented about how excited they are about the French reaction; so rather than the three paragraphs I had, I've extended it out. This makes the chapter much longer... but since I promised Harry would appear in a certain number of chapters, I'm posting this as one chapter instead of two. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **loveroffelton** [Yes, they need to be fed to your dragon]; **arabellagrace** [Yeah, he is a rather twisted]; **fatyellowrat** [Yes, we share that dislike... poor Ron, it's just that he is so easy to write as a villain with his short-temper, runaway mouth and stubbornness]; **Honoria Granger** [Yeah, Hermione is far too idealistic for such actions]; **cares 1970** [Here you go!]; **Kermit** **304** [I do like the French boss, I can visualise her so easily]; **AliceGI** , **Cat130** , **patty cakes rock** , and **LanaLee1** [Thank you!]; **StBerryFan22** and **LadyAirie** [ekk, well, my Hermione is pretty idealistic, which is rather at odds with her protective nature - hope you still enjoy the story after this chapter!]; **Chester99** [hmm, memories, good point]; and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [Hahaha].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

It was two days later when the wards dinged, letting Draco know that someone was passing through them. Someone who hadn't been blocked. Then the knock on the door sounded. Draco let out a long breath, looking at the distance to the door and not wanting to force himself to cross it. But, as Hermione was out, he clicked his tongue and levered himself into standing position, and then started to slowly shuffle his still-healing body towards the front door.

When he swung the door open and nodded a greeting: it was his boss from France.

 _I was wondering where she was._

'Draco, you look awful!' she said.

'Thanks,' he replied sarcastically, waving her in.

'Oh! I'm sorry, but you really do,' she replied as she stepped into the apartment. 'The British Minister only just sent us a message to inform us of the incident. What in Hades happened?'

'Let's sit down,' Draco half-suggested, leading the way back to the lounge. As they sat down, he asked, 'Didn't the Minister say what happened?'

'Yes, but I want to know what happened from you.'

'What did the British Minister say?'

She began with evident agitation, 'He said that they had some trouble controlling an Auror due to his inability to get over past issues. He said the Auror was obstructive and tried to open an investigation into your life. When the Auror was warned off, he started acting in secret and eventually raided your office. When you interrupted him, the Auror attacked you and purposefully stole a dark object you had been working on. You warned the Auror not to touch it, saying it was cursed, the Auror ignored you and, in the attack, managed to steal it. The Auror got the item out of its box, but on touching it, was consumed by pain.' Her voice paused as she took in a shaky breath, her voice becoming very distressed when she finished, 'He dropped it and the object landed on you.'

'I suppose that is pretty accurate breakdown of the facts, it felt different, but it's reasonably accurate.'

'What did he leave out?'

'I was almost suffocated in the attack and the injuries inflicted by the object were quite serious.'

'Stupide!'

'Huh?'

'The British Minister. He should not have tried to downplay the incident - he made it sound like minor injuries: which is obviously incorrect, I can see that just from looking at you. So – basically - they had a rogue Auror harassing you and didn't set up a restraining order or block him from your office in an effort to protect you?'

'That's correct.'

She growled.

'Who was the Auror?'

'Ronald Weasley, the one who caused the Incident in our department a couple of years ago.'

'What!' she snarled. 'He had access to your department!?'

'Mm.'

'Tell me the extent of your injuries from the object.'

'Critical.'

'Critical?' she breathed in outrage.

'I'm lucky to have survived.'

'Merde,' she hissed. 'Explain them.'

Draco morosely ran through the injuries and watched his boss' face darken as he listed them.

'What has been done about the imbécile?'

'I'm not really sure of the full extent. I know the Auror has been suspended-without-pay pending an investigation. I'll probably find out more when I head into the office.'

'Into the office? Draco, you don't have to go back! As far as I am concerned, your contract with the British Ministry is void and you can return to Paris whenever you and Hermione like. I can have it all arranged at a moment's notice, you just need to say the word.'

'Thanks, and I might take you up on the offer later, but I should really finish the current project I am working on, if I can. It's an object which is controlling people's souls and no one else in their office has made any headway – that's confidential by the way.'

She pursed her lips and looked at him closely. 'Are you sure? You really don't have to.'

'I'm sure. I've discussed it with Hermione. But as soon as that is done, or my contract runs out, we will return to Paris.'

When Draco had decided that he would finish his work on the Carterate Box or stay until the end of the transfer at the longest, Hermione had been disappointed. It wasn't until he broke confidentiality and told her about the box containing trapped souls, that she agreed it was important to try and complete the work on it, given he was rather gifted in his field. But she had insisted on provisions, one being that they both have restraining orders against Ronald.

'Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know: I'll have you both packed up and at home in a jiffy. I'll send some protection items for you both, just in case.' She sighed.

'If you are sure, Draco…'

He nodded.

'Then thank you so much for making the resolution of this whole incident smoother. Given the British Minister's poor decision, it could be a frightful mess. You could have decided to stir the waters in our international relations, and I would back you, but you and Hermione are making my life a lot easier. So, thank you.'

Draco waved off the thanks. While it would be easy to make a huge issue of it; to be fair, it was only one Auror acting contrary to orders... and a stupid attempt by the British Minister to downplay what happened. If the British Ministry did their job and conducted a proper investigation and punishment, then he wasn't too bothered. It was awfully tempting to take matters into his own hands, having learnt a lot of nasty tricks from death eaters when they invaded Malfoy Manor, but, after all the horror and vengeful retribution he had witnessed, he didn't have the stomach for any more. Let the official process work it out: if they failed, the law courts should succeed. Hermione had grudgingly agreed to let the system have a go: if they failed, he didn't doubt she would begin to campaign for reforms, even if she had to do so through others and from France. And now the British Minister would owe his one huge favour, should he ask.

His boss continued, 'I'll be informing the French Minister of what occurred when I get home. I imagine the Minister will be quite upset with his English counterpart for watering down the information and not telling us how injured you were immediately. It will put a dent in trust levels, that's for sure. I'll also ensure that, no matter how much their British counterparts wanted a particular person for any transfers in the future, it will be entirely the transferee's choice. I think I'll implement a volunteer temporary transfer register as soon as I get back. The people on that list would be the only people to be transferred in the future. I daresay that, after I explain the full nature of what has happened, the Minister will agree, and probably add some more safety measures for future transfers… that is, if the Minister decides to keep the transfer program.'

'I daresay the Minister will continue it, and I think my history with the Auror and the Auror's inability to move passed the past made this a one of event.'

'I really am so sorry this happened, Draco. I should never have backed our Minister and pushed you to agree to the transfer after you let me know your objections.'

Draco shrugged. _What can I say to that? Of course you shouldn't have pushed it? At least you realise your mistake, even if it is rather late. Merlin I'm tried!_

'I mean it. As apology for our involvement, I'm giving you two years paid leave, that you can take whenever you like, no questions asked.'

 _Hmm, that could be useful if Hermione and I do have kids._

'Alright,' he drawled, although it was interrupted by a yawn.

She stood up and said, 'You rest up, I'll close the door behind me. All the best in your recovery, if you need anything, anything at all, just floo me. Now I had best be off, I have some people who I intend to have words with about what has occurred before I return to Paris. À bientôt.'

'À bientôt,' Draco replied with a tired wave, listening careful to ensure he heard the door latch close.

* * *

It wasn't until the next week that Draco was able to return to work. Mr Horthworth had been relieved that Draco was returning: rather concerned by his non-committal answer in the hospital and the visit he had received from an irate, and rather verbose, French Department Head who had turned out to be Draco's regular boss. After encountering the lady, Horthworth had immediately made the mental commitment to avoid visiting France for, at least, the next three years - the sound of her furious threats still ringing in his ears. When he had seen Shacklebolt later that day, he was convinced, by the man's jumpy attitude, that he too had had a visit from the tiny, but terrifying, woman.

When it became apparent that Draco would continue working, Mr Horthworth had called Head Auror Shacklebolt to join the meeting with Draco.

Shacklebolt immediately apologised for the incident, vehemently berating Ronald's actions and regreting that his Auror had run amok. Shacklebolt ensured that the magical restraining orders were quickly put into effect and verified that he would be heavily involved in the Carterate Box and closely monitoring his remaining Aurors. He also added that Ronald was being magically tracked until the investigation concluded and that he had strongly recommended that the Auror attend counselling for anger management and to discuss the past.

Shacklebolt also confirmed that the investigation would probably take a while, given the two occurrences.

Draco promptly added that it had been similar to the Paris Incident, and Shacklebolt immediately sent a note to the Internal Investigations Department. Ronald would be investigated for a long list of actions, including: attacking a Ministry Official, investigating a Ministry Official without authorisation, continuing an investigation against direction, subordination, failure to follow procedures, grievous bodily harm, accessing the Department of Mysteries restricted area, reading confidential information from the Department of Mysteries, and taking possession without authorisation of confiscated goods.

After Draco reported to the Internal Investigations Department and gave a report and a copy of his memories from the three events to the serious and efficient officer, he returned to his office. He was happy to see it had been tidied; the whirlwind of destruction from Ronald Weasley having been erased from sight. There was a laboratory report sitting in his tray.

Sitting into his chair and collecting the report, Draco dived back into his work; determined to resolve the case as soon as possible.

 **Laboratory Testing Results**

 **Item** : Carterate Box

 **Description** : Cuboid shape. inches. Wooden material. Identical blue filigree pattern on all sides. No visible opening.

 **Age of item** : magical residue and wood deterioration indicates approximately 30.65 years.

 **Tests completed** :

Dark magic residue test – positive.

White magic residue test – negative.

Protection spell test – positive.

Dark creature test – negative.

Magical soul test – positive.

Muggle soul test – negative.

Capacity test – positive.

Spell length life test – indefinite.

Locking test – positive.

Maker test – positive.

 **Further descriptions** :

Dark magic residue test showed high levels of dark magic involved in creation of box.

Protection spell test shows high level dark spells ensure only the box creator can use and open the box. Coma and identification spells will mark attempted unauthorised openers/users.

Magical soul test shows the box contains approximately seven wizard and three witch souls.

 _Ten souls! I thought perhaps two, maybe. But ten! Whoever did this will definitely deserve the kiss… if they lived that long. There will be a lot of angry relatives when this information hits the news._

The individuals contained are: Donald Littleback, James Farweather, Lucus Dollstien, George Green, Toby Cultine, John Trillor, Peter Graves, Bellatrix Black, Molly Prewett, and Lois Pennyfeather.

 _Aunt Bella! Merde._

Capacity test shows that the soul's essence is captured for the purpose of control.

Spell length life test shows the spells are constantly absorbing magic from the creator and captured souls, and will continue to do so while the creator lives. While the creator lives, the magic will maintain the box.

Locking test shows complex and dark spells keeping the box closed.

Maker test shows the box was created by a wizard of moderate power with high skill in dark charms.

Draco immediately sent a note to Horthworth and Shacklebolt, informing them that he had new information on the Carterate Box pertinent to the investigation. A meeting was quickly scheduled for early afternoon. He sent a request to records for information on the ten individuals – hoping he would have the details by the meeting. Draco finished compiling as much as he could, before ducking out to find lunch; the afternoon's meeting would likely be a long one.

* * *

 **A/N: I know, I know, Ron hasn't been crucioed, but, well, the Carterate Box! Who's curious about that? Oh, and what did you think of Draco's French boss? As always, if you see any punctuation/grammar corrections (particularly in the French boss section - that hasn't been checked the usual six times!), please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Thank you for all the encouragement!

Okay, a few questions that I thought I would answer for everyone: Molly Prewett - who that is, is stated in this chapter; Bella - she is alive (this is an AU story - let's just pretend there was a pretty bit of magic which ensured no-one died in the final battle - hence Fred and Lavender also still being around; yes, Kingsley is Head Auror, the person who is the British Minister of Magic is just an unnamed gormless individual; and I write using Oxford English - which has some style differences to American English - hurrah for international posting!

For the reviewers: **loveroffelton** [Thanks! Well I'm nit sure if I would call it punishment, but you should enjoy what happens to Ron later.]; **fatyellowrat** [Haha, so determined for revenge!]; **Honoria Granger** [She was orignally only mentioned in passing - given all the new names later mentioned, she gets to stay mildly ambiguous. On Molly Prewett, some answers are below]; **cares 1970** [She is pretty kick-ass. Thank you!]; **Kermit** **304** [Excellent questions! Draco can tell you. Ah, yes this story is AU, so Bella is alive]; **CrazyPedantic** [Hmm, maybe a little - but then I laughed at the comment so I'd say we are in good company - and thanks for the pick up! Yes, it would be like me to have it as Dumbledore - but I'm not saying anymore]; **patty cakes rock** [Thanks!]; **Reisa** [You actually had me crying tears of laughter - thank you for the enthusiasm for my story!]; **StBerryFan22** [You are a legend! Thank you!]; and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [Mission Impossible? Nope, I had to look that one up actually - no correlations, but now I have an image in my brain of Ron dropping through a ceiling to steal the box].

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Walking into the meeting, Draco saw Horthworth and Shacklebolt sitting in the room and chatting amiable. Glancing at his watch, he let out a subtle breath when he realised the meeting wasn't scheduled to start for another minute.

He sat down and dropped the load of files on the desk with a muffled whump.

'Shall we dive in, gentlemen?' Draco asked.

'Just a few more minutes, I have two more people from the Auror Department who need to join us,' Auror Shacklebolt replied.

They passed the time talking about meaningless niceties until the door swung open and a man and lady stumbled in. Draco struggling to withhold his frown when he realised the man was Harry Potter.

 _This can hardly go well_ , Draco mused.

'Mr Malfoy, these are the two key Aurors who were placed on this case after the raid. Auror Harry Potter, you of course know, and Auror Angelina Johnson.'

Draco nodded politely to Potter and smiled at Angelina; the girl had been dating Fred Weasley for three years, so they knew each other quite well.

 _Angelina will, at least, make this easier_.

Potter nodded stiffly in reply, as Angelina said hello and settled herself into a chair next to Draco. Potter sat on the other side of the table, in a seat which gave him a clear view of Draco; _no doubt to easily hex me if he feels threatened_ , Draco thought.

'Okay, that's everyone, whenever you are ready, Mr Malfoy,' Shacklebolt said.

'Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt. I have been researching the Carterate Box and have just received the laboratory tests. The tests have confirmed our concern that the box contains human souls.'

Harry hissed and Angelina gasped, both new to this theory. Shacklebolt and Horthworth nodded.

'Thanks to the tests, we now have information on the number, identities and details of the entrapment. There are seven wizard and three witch souls trapped in the box.'

'Ten souls! Merlin,' Angelina breathed.

'How is that possible?' Potter asked.

'While the box uses magic from its creator to sustain itself, it also uses magic from the captured souls as well, that means that with every soul added, the box grows more powerful, there is virtually no limit to the number of souls which could be added,' Draco explained.

'I only know the name of one individual, but I have files here on all of them, although I haven't had a chance to check them yet. The souls belong to: Donald Littleback, James Farweather, Lucus Dollstien, George Green, Toby Cultine, John Trillor, Peter Graves, Bellatrix Black—'

'Wait, did you say Bellatrix Black? Do you mean Bellatrix Lestrange?' Shacklebolt asked.

'That's correct, my aunt; but the soul is actually Bellatrix Black.'

'That evil death eater!' Potter spat.

Everyone ignored him in favour of Angelina's question, 'Does it not recognise marriage?'

'It does. By the maiden name being listed, it means that that was her name when her soul was captured. This means that she was captured before she married.'

'Twenty-five years, she has been held for that long?' Shacklebolt confirmed.

'At least - as that was when she married. The box has been able to capture souls for about thirty and a half years, so she lost control of her soul between twenty-five and thirtyish years ago.'

'I know a couple of those names that you have mentioned. Was there another two?'

'Yes, the other two witches are Lois Pennyfeather and Molly Prewett.'

'Molly Prewett!' the other four yelped in union.

'Yes, do you know who that is?' Draco asked confused, picking up the file and flipping through it. But on looking at the picture and seeing the primary details, he realised he also knew her. Molly Prewett was actually Mrs Molly Weasley.

'Bollocks,' Draco muttered. Suddenly thinking about Molly's attitude, he had to wonder what was actually Molly and what was a result of the soul capture.

'Molly, Molly is on this list. Are you sure it is right?' Shacklebolt asked.

Horthworth replied for him, 'All tests in the laboratory are run twice; by different individuals. The information is correct.'

'Merlin,' Shacklebolt said softly, shaking his head dejectedly.

'Ron's going to flip,' Harry commented.

'Auror Potter, need I remind you that this is an open investigation and everything is confidential,' Shacklebolt said sternly.

'Ron's an Auror though, surely we can't keep this from him! And what about Mr Weasley, surely we need to tell him about his wife!'

'Auror Potter, you will not tell anyone outside this room anything. It is an open investigation and those are the rules. In addition, as you know, Auror Weasley is suspended pending investigation. Do I make myself clear?' Shacklebolt ground out, embarrassed that his Auror was acting this way in front of Horthworth.

'Yes, sir. I won't say anything,' Potter replied with a frown.

'Wait, you said Prewett, didn't you, Draco?' Angelina asked.

'I did, which means she was also contained before her marriage.' Draco asked.

'Bill was a honeymoon baby, he is twenty-eight. So she was married twenty-nine years ago, or something like that,' Angelina answered.

'Twenty-nine years and three months to be exact,' Draco said, glancing up from the open file in front of him.

'Hang on, this can't possibly be right. Molly and Lestrange could both walk around, make decisions, practise magic. How can they do that without a soul? I've seen people in Azkaban after their soul is removed. They just sit there and fade away.'

'A capacity test showed that the soul's essence was captured for the purpose of control. With a dementor, the soul is captured for food. The intent is important and changes the outcome and what happens to the physical body. These ten souls were captured for control only. That means whoever took them, could basically re-program the person to act the way they wanted. The soul would have been open to control from the moment they were captured and the person who captured them could change the personality at any point and as much as they wanted,' Draco explained.

'Alright, did you have anything else to tell us?' Shacklebolt asked.

'Yes. The box has a multitude of dark complex spells on it, stopping us from opening it and releasing the souls. The testing showed the box was created by a wizard of mediocre power, but highly skilled in dark charms.'

Potter nodded, scribbling details down on his pad.

'I'll give you a copy of the report, Potter,' Draco said.

'Okay... thanks,' Potter replied.

'With the dark spells on this box, it will be extremely difficult to release the souls without risking their destruction. I will keep looking into it, but the safest option to release the souls, is for the person who captured the souls, to open the box and say the spell to free them. I'll try to find out what the spell is, so when the person is given the chance to release the spells, they don't destroy them instead. In the meantime, I think the box can't tell us much more about the creator,' Draco concluded, slightly disappointed he could say who the culprit was exactly. 'But, I might be able to figure out how long each soul has been captured, it won't be hugely accurate, but might help confirm your findings.'

Potter immediately spoke up. 'Okay, it sounds like the best bet, will be figuring out when each person was captured. A dramatic personality change is probably most likely, so that will make it easier to confirm. Then we can try to find the link in change to a person that it benefits.'

Everyone nodded.

Horthworth turned to Draco. 'Continue with looking for the release spell and the times for how long the souls have been captured, confer with the Aurors regularly.'

Glancing at a smiling Angelina and grudgingly accepting Potter, Draco agreed.

'Thank you, Horthworth, Mr Malfoy,' Shacklebolt said.

Horthworth and Draco said farewell and left the room to the Aurors.

* * *

 **A/N: Dun dun dun! As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following! Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **loveroffelton** [There was some important details tucked away in there, sucks about your dad]; **StBerryFan22** , **Kermit** **304** , **AliceGI** , **fatyellowrat** , **cares 1970** , **cat130** , **morning star** [Thank you!]; **Chester99** [I'm glad I have you thinking!]; **CrazyPedantic** [I suppose that those who value Hermione's friendship are happy to extend it to her hot husband, and remember Draco isn't particularly liked in Ministry, it's only on Horthworth's orders that his fellow workers stopped glaring and muttering nasty things]; **patty cakes rock** [Inch by inch they will get proof]; and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [Interesting thought - the Dad does have one, would that counter it?].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Over the next three days Draco concentrated on figuring out when Molly's soul had been captured; reckoning that Potter and Angelina would focus on the lady who was a large part of their lives. During a quick chat when Draco handed over copies of the information to Potter, the two agreed to start afresh; although Draco suspected that Potter's offer had been prompted by a reminder from Shacklebolt to play nice and let bygones be bygones.

Draco had managed to confirm that Molly's soul had been captured approximately one week after the box was created. An ominous timeframe to be sure, which made him theorise that Molly might be pivotal to the case: of course, everyone else might have been captured at the same time, so maybe he was wrong… but he doubted it.

Draco grabbed his piles of parchment and headed up to Potter's office for their catch-up meeting.

He knocked on the door and it swung open - no one inside. Shrugging, he stepped into the office and dropped his stack of parchments on the cleared meeting table. He slumped into a chair and glanced around the room.

He snorted when he caught sight of the snitch from Potter's last Hogwarts match: it had been against Slytherin and the Gryffindor seeker had caught the snitch; his natural skill shining through. The little winged ball fluttered in a clear box: contained and desperate to be free.

 _I wonder if Potter feels that way._

Draco caught sight of a photo of Hogwarts.

 _I'm sensing a theme here._

Turning to the opposite wall, he saw a picture of a familiar face and smile: Hermione. In the photo she was waving and smiling, one arm wrapped around Harry's shoulder. The two were sitting under a tree in their school robes. Hermione had a pile of books next to her, Potter had a broom. The orang-utan was nowhere to be seen. Under the photo, was a pin board covered in parchments with interconnecting string.

Curious, Draco moved over to the wall and looked at the parchments. They were all about Hermione. It looked like Potter was trying to track her.

 _Why is he searching for her?_ _Is it for his job?_

Looking around, Draco couldn't see a case file. He also realised that Potter was searching for Hermione Granger, not Hermione Malfoy. The new research was mostly focused on the Muggle world, with the older research including more of the magically world.

 _I suppose Potter thinks she is tucked away in the Muggle world._

Draco fingered the picture of his wife with her arm around Potter.

 _Well, he is looking for her for some reason... maybe I can needle it out of him; then I'll tell Hermione._

'Malfoy, what are you doing in here?'

 _Speak of the Gods_.

'Potter,' Draco replied, turning from the wall, 'we have a meeting and your door was open, I assumed you wanted me to wait in here.'

'A meeting. Do we? What day is it?

'Wednesday.'

'Bollocks, I thought today was Tuesday. Right, given me a sec.'

'No worries,' Draco replied lightly.

 _The best way to get information is probably to keep him friendly but off centre._

'I couldn't help noticing the wall dedicated to Hermione,' Draco continued in the same tone.

'Hmm?' Potter said looking up, his eyes focused passed Draco onto the wall and his mouth tightened. 'Yes, she left after the war and didn't provide a contact address, so I'm trying to find her… in non-office hours, of course.'

'Of course. I must say it looks pretty comprehensive, Muggle and magical world.'

'Well, she is Muggle-born,' Potter said, a slight edge to his voice.

'I recall,' Draco replied mildly. 'It doesn't sound like her to forget to leave a contact address and not rectify the oversight. In school she was notoriously organised.'

'If you really need to know,' Harry replied with irritation evident, 'I made a mistake and need to apologise, I don't expect her to contact me.'

'Must have been a major mistake. What did you do? Back Ronald one too many times?' A voice that sounded disturbingly like his scolding wife rung through his mind: _that was cruel, you shouldn't have said that given what you know, despite how he treated me_.

Potter glared balefully at him in reply.

'I'll take that as a yes,' Draco replied. 'Why don't you ask one of the Weasley's for her address?'

'None of them are in contact with her.'

'How are you so sure?'

'Molly forbade the family to stay in contact; they are such a tight-knit group that they listened. We can't even mention her name at the Burrow, which is the only place I ever see any of them,' Potter replied with frustration.

 _Barmy blighter!_

'What happened to cause that?' Draco asked, folding himself back into the chair with a practised look of nonchalance.

Harry huffed and replied in a clipped tone, 'After she returned from Australia, where she had gone to restore her parents' memories that she'd obliviated in an attempt to save them during the war, she dumped Ron. Of course, I didn't find out until after she'd left that Ron cheated on her.'

'She didn't try to tell you?'

Potter glanced at him, like a child who had eaten all the cookies and had been found out. 'Probably, I never read any of the letters she sent, Molly ripped them to shreds when they arrived and then sent them back in pieces.'

'So let me get this straight. She obliviates her parents to keep them alive during the war, so that she can help you hunt down and destroy the Horcruxes. After the war she goes to get her parents, but discovered they have died with no recollection of her. When she returns to find her boyfriend is cheating on her, dumps said cheater, her friends and the people she probably considers as her only remaining family, turn on her. Wow, brilliantly done, that definitely puts you in the running for friend of the year,' Draco said sarcastically.

'I know,' Potter snapped. 'I stuffed up! But there was a lot going on for me at the time as well. As soon as I realised how stupid I'd been, I started searching for her! But I haven't found her! All I want to do is beg her forgiveness and show her I can be a true friend!' Potter ranted, completely losing himself in his anger and frustration. 'What!? Why are you looking at me like that?'

Draco quickly blanked his face. 'I'm sure you will find her eventually, Potter.'

 _My wife is a very forgiving soul, when I tell her what Potter has been doing and why, she'll contact him; I'm sure._

'Why do you even care?' Potter asked, confusion and irritation lacing his voice.

Draco was thankfully saved from replying by a knock on the door. Angelina poked her head around the door and grinned at Draco. Potter gave a wave of his wand and invited Angelina in. Draco sent a questioning look at Potter, wondering what he spell was for. Potter's eyes drifted to the wall with the search for Hermione, Draco followed the look and saw a blank wall.

Draco had to force himself not to roll his eyes at the ridiculous situation. _Clearly Potter thinks all the Weasley's listened to the decree and is scared of being ostracised if they discover his search – eejit - if only he knew it is only Molly, Ron, Arthur and Percy who don't speak to her. Well, I won't be the one to announce the news: it's Hermione's decision if she gets back in touch with him, even if I already know that she will._

Angelina added her pile of documents to the table and flopped into a chair, looking at the still standing Potter. The male Auror realised they were both waiting for him and quickly pulled his chair over and sat down at the meeting table.

'So we started with Molly,' Potter began.

 _Twenty points to me_.

Potter continued, 'We found a personality change at school. Her marks dropped and her parents became angry at her.'

Angelina added, 'She also dumped her fiancé, Rodolphus Lestrange, and started to date Arthur.'

'Given Bella is also on the list, and she married Rodolphus, I think he might have had something to do with the box: wanting to marry Bella, he encouraged Molly to break the betrothal and date someone else,' Harry finished. 'Thank Merlin she ended up with Arthur!'

Draco nodded. It was possible, and Bella definitely married below herself when she was united with Lestrange. He was also a mediocre powered wizard.

Draco said, 'My research on the Carterate Box shows that Molly was capture approximately one week after it was created. I haven't found the dates on any of the others yet, so they might have also been around the same time, however she was definitely captured soon after its creation.'

Harry nodded and replied, 'That's good news… in a way, at least our information is aligning so far. We also did some research into Bellatrix. She seems to have had a personality change around the same time. Her marks also dropped in some classes, particularly Muggle Studies, but increased in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions. She started dating Lestrange and fell in with a darker crowd, she started getting detentions for infractions against non-purebloods and started to get rather sickly.'

'The sickliness could have been from trying to fight the soul capture,' Draco suggested with a thoughtful frown.

'Is it possible to fight it successfully?' Angelina asked.

'Not that I've heard of, but you can try: my mum always said Bella was a very determined witch and she was very powerful - all Blacks were - so chances were she would have fought it if she was even slightly aware of what was happening. The Blacks were also a dark family, they know the dark arts well, so she would have known the possibility of a soul been taken: that could have alerted her when the capture first occurred and helped her fight it,' Draco explained.

'How long would the capture take?' Potter asked.

Draco replied confidently, 'Immediate effect. But her soul might have tried to get free for an hour, days, weeks, even years afterwards. She might still be trying… although I doubt it, given she is in Azkaban…'

'What is it? You look like you have an idea,' Angelina said.

Draco licked his lips as he considered how to best phrase his thought. 'If Bella is still fighting the capture, she might be able to give a hint of who did it. If you can get her out of Azkaban, away from the effect of the dementors, you might have a chance of getting the information.'

'Trying to break your dear old aunt out of jail, Malfoy?' Potter sneered as he slipped out of the professional accord they had been building.

'No, I'm trying to save ten souls, including Molly's,' Draco replied coolly, unappreciative of the suggestion.

'Of course you are,' Angelina jumped in. Draco was surprised for a moment that she would think that of him, but upon looking at her, he saw she was glaring at a slightly abashed Potter.

 _Ah, that was for Potter. Good_.

'I think we can manage that, it's worth a try,' Angelina said. 'We will have to keep it on the down low though. What about we take her to your home, Grimmauld Place? That way you can keep an eye on her and she will settle down in her home environment,' she continued towards Potter. 'We will keep a track on her and ward the property, so she can't leave.'

Potter nodded his head slowly, a sour grimace on his face.

'I'll also come around and help guard her. Draco, are you any good at getting information out of people's whose souls are stolen?' Angelina asked.

'Can't say it has come up before, but I can give it a shot; hopefully she has forgotten that she doesn't like me,' Draco replied with a shrug.

'Okay,' Potter finally said. 'I'll talk to Shacklebolt and we will get Bellatrix moved to Grimmauld Place in the next two days. You can both stay with me while she's in residence. We will give it a couple of days. If we have no luck, she can go back to Azkaban owl-haste and we will keep looking for a connection.'

Angelina and Draco nodded in agreement and stood up, ready to depart. Angelina skipped out, but Draco was halted by a hand clamping onto his sleeve.

'Did you want something, Potter?' Draco asked, eyebrow raised.

Potter let go of his robe and closed the door. 'You said Hermione's parents were dead. How did you know that?'

 _Bugger, shouldn't have mentioned that bit on knowledge. Fingers crossed this works_. Draco gave Potter a confused look and pointed at the wall. 'It was on one of the parchments you have pinned up over there.'

'Oh, right, it is. Sorry, Malfoy.' Potter replied, looking slightly disheartened.

'No worries, see you later, Potter.'

'Yeah, bye, Malfoy,' Potter replied distractedly.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ** **Harry might seem a bit odd here, so I thought I should explain, since we can't see his thoughts in this scene: Harry spoke up for Draco during his trial which allowed him to see his rival in a new way and after four years his hatred has waned considerably, he is also trying to be professional and get along with his co-workers to do his job. That said, six years of competition and discord make it hard to break some automatic reactions. This means Harry doesn't hate Draco, or really care about him anymore. I see Harry as a determined character who can focus on one thing until it is done, often at the detriment to other things, at the moment, all his energies are aimed at finding Hermione and solving the case.** **

**As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following! Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **Honoria Granger** [Only those who work there really know, it has been four years since she left and as no one kicked up a fuss when she moved, she has just faded from media attention]; **StBerryFan22** [I'll admit I did toss up a few ideas to see what worked best - and it will be revealed later - if she decides to meet him]; **Chester99** [Since Harry lost Hermione due to Ron's lies, he probably isn't as close. Added to that, Harry spends his time out of work searching for Hermione and Ron was suspended as soon as he learned about Hermione: hope that clarifies things a bit.]; **MalecClaceWessaSydrianDramione** [who knows... well maybe me, but I can't say :D ]; **fatyellowrat** [*twiddles thumbs and looks at sky*]; **CrazyPedantic** [Thank you - that is a relief to know! If it helps, I do have fun reading the ideas... however it is quickly followed by a fear of pitchforks in my future]; **Lanalee1** [Na, Draco is too smart and experienced to do that]; **arabellagrace** [Yes, and he has tried to fix it]; **patty cakes rock** , ****Kermit** **304**** , **ellabelle12** , **angelofdestiny16** , **theperfectsomeone** , **giggles** [Thank you!]; and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [I think you might like the chapter after this one!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Draco was putting the final touches on dinner: Hermione's favourite Chinese food was ordered and would be delivered in the next thirty minutes, the lychee wine was chilled and he had a sappy movie picked out that always cheered her up… just in case she took the news badly or, worse, felt guilty that Potter had been trying to contact her and she hadn't reached out first.

The door slammed.

 _Damn, obviously it was a bad day._

'Stupid, moronic deputy,' Hermione muttered as she entered the room, shrugging off her jacket and dropping her bag on the floor.

Draco stayed seated, deciding to let her finish her rant before offering comfort.

'Do you know what Healer Soundleaf's deputy has done now!?'

Draco shook his head, despite it being a rhetorical question.

'The prat has complained about me! Saying that, of all things, I have made sexual advances towards him. Apparently,' Hermione's voice accentuating the word with a sneer, 'I pulled him into a cupboard and tried to kiss and touch him. As if I would be interested in that pathetic ass or act so unprofessionally!'

Draco cleared his throat.

'Or cheat on my husband!' Hermione's voice now reaching a new pitch he had not heard since school.

'What did Healer Soundleaf do when she heard the accusation?'

'The process is going to be investigated. That ass! How dare he mess with my career and reputation! ... and marriage!'

Seeing Hermione so upset, Draco was tempted to put the fear of the Malfoy family into the deputy: he might not be a dark wizard, but he grew up around them and had unsurprisingly picked-up plenty of additional spells and tricks in intimidation and pain when Voldemort had called Malfoy Manor his headquarters.

However, knowing his wife was a highly-capable and individual witch, he instead decided that he would leave it in her hands, unless she requested his assistance. So, instead of visiting the deputy and reducing him to a figurative - and probably literal - puddle of goo, he wrapped his arms around his smarting wife and kissed her cheek.

'I love you,' he crooned in her ear.

A begrudging smile slipped onto her face. 'I love you too.' She leaned back from his embrace, lifted her chin and sniffed. 'I'll make that little twerp pay for the accusation. Veritaserum will resolve the issue without question.'

'You'll take it?'

'To resolve this before it irrevocably damages my reputation, I have no choice, however the questions will be limited. I will sue a questioner if they ask something that is not pre-cleared. Do you think you can pull some strings at work to get some?'

'In France, no problem, here,' Draco clucked his tongue, 'doubtful. But… I might have an idea.'

'What is it?'

'It will take some explaining, so how about you go and have a nice, warm bubble bath – it's all ready for you – get into something comfortable, and sexy, and I'll see you back here in thirty minutes for when your favourite dinner arrives.'

Hermione pulled his face down to hers and kissed him firmly. 'What did I do to marry such a wonderful man?'

'You're just lucky that way,' Draco teased as he directed her to the bath.

When Hermione returned wrapped in a fluffy robe, Draco was laying the delivered food on the table.

'I've decided that after the investigation is sorted, I'm going to sue the irritating twat of a deputy for the false accusations which could destroy my career, reputation and marriage.'

 _She never stops thinking_ , Draco mused. 'A very appropriate plan, now sit down and let me tell you about my day while we eat.'

'Oh! I'm sorry that I didn't even ask!' Hermione replied, contrite that her husband was being so sweet and she hadn't even asked him about his day.

'It's fine, I didn't want to discuss it until now, and I usually can't tell you anything anyway.'

Once she had settled down, draping her long, smooth legs over Draco's lap, he began to explain what he had discovered in Potter's office.

'So he has been looking for me? Why didn't any of the Weasley's say where I was?'

'It seems that he thought they all dropped contact with you when Molly demanded it, and she forbade your name from being spoken, so he never had much chance to overhear them discussing it. I expect the Weasleys thought he hadn't changed his mind so, of course, they never mentioned anything.'

Hermione sighed and tapped her fingers on her knee as she considered what he said.

'You realise you are going to have to start calling him Harry now, don't you?'

'Never, but I will say that he improves in a professional relationship. Besides, he is the only Potter, so there is no confusion when I call him that; unlike with the Weasley family… way too many of them in the world,' he joked. It still earned him a smack from his wife, fortunately a light one: as he had learnt in third year, she packed a mean right-hook.

'So, is Harry your plan for getting the serum?'

'He does have some major sucking up to do.'

'If I ask him, he will feel obliged though.'

'Think about it. When are the investigation statements due?'

'Ten days. Until then, I am on night shifts so that I don't overlap with the twat deputy.'

'Then you have nine days to decide.'

'I'll think about it.'

Draco nodded and then decided the heavy conversation was over and it was time to lighten the mood. With a smirk he picked up some food in his chopsticks and waited for his wife to continue the conversation.

'I migh—' the rest was muffled as Hermione tried to chew the surprise food now in her mouth. Draco smiled and clicked his chopsticks at her. She gave him a half-exasperated and half-irritated look as she struggled to chew the massive amount of food in her mouth. _She can try to look angry as much as she likes, but with all that food she is chewing, she really just looks like an angry lion cub,_ Draco contemplated as he chuckled to himself.

* * *

 **A/N: What did you think? As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** A second chapter posting for today! Happy reading!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Draco pulled the lumpy pillow over his head and held it down, desperately trying to block out the noise. His aunt had been screaming for the last eighteen hours and even his strengthened silencing wards weren't able to keep out the sound, almost as if her magic was countering it.

Draco sat up in the bed with a scowl and tossed off the sheets, planting his feet onto the cold wooden floor with a loud thud. Groaning miserably, he levered himself off the bed and grabbed his bathrobe. He trudged down the stairs of Grimmauld Place, trying to stifle his yawn, so he didn't trip on the torn carpet winding down over the steps.

Moving to the lounge room, Draco saw Harry look at him with bloodshot eyes.

'You look like shit, Potter.'

'Like you can talk.'

While the insults were back, the venom was no longer there, weeded out by mutual respect, Potter's desire to find Hermione and exhaustion.

'You would think she would have screamed herself hoarse by now,' Draco muttered, as he leaned against the wall and slid down onto the ground next to Potter.

'She has the vocal cords of a baby,' Potter grouched.

Draco snorted.

'I can see it now, the fearsome Bellatrix as a toddler, waving a wand in her hand and shouting 'unicorn!' Potter added.

The two quickly dissolved into laughter at the image.

 _Exhaustion is a bitch, maybe I should bring Hermione here so we can reconsider the starting a family idea_.

'My wife and I are thinking about starting a family, Bella is making me reassess that idea,' Draco admitted.

'You're married!?' Potter spluttered.

 _And you think that's a surprise, just wait until Hermione contacts you and tells you who I married!_

'Indubitably.'

'What's she like?'

Draco couldn't restrain the smile that stole across his face. 'Perfect for me. She is smart, forgiving, thoughtful, caring, gorgeous, determined, courageous and adventurous.'

'Sounds like the opposite of you,' Potter joked.

'Prat.'

'Nah, she sounds great, it is obvious from the look on your face that you love her: you're a lucky blighter.'

'I am,' Draco replied.

A particularly loud screech broke through the conversation and they both clamped their hands over their ears. Silence then stole over the house. Potter and Draco looked at each other in surprise, before quickly scrambling to their feet and entering the room, wands at the ready.

Bellatrix was slumped on the ground, sobbing desperately.

'Aunt Bella,' Draco cooed.

The woman lifted her head slightly, shuddering with tears. 'D—Dra—Dragon?'

Draco startled noticeably, having not been called that since he was a toddler. 'Yes, Aunt Bella.'

'Y—you're gr-gro-grown up.'

'I have.' Bella started to blink rapidly and her nails dug into the palm of her hands. 'I need your help,' Draco rushed, seeing the droplets of blood hit the ground. 'Who captured your soul?'

Bella gasped. 'C—can't.'

'The spell stops you from saying?'

Bella whimpered and started to scratch at her legs, jagged nails driving into her skin. Draco jumped forward, tossing his wand to Potter so it stayed out of Bella's reach, and pulled her hands away to stop them inflicting damage. 'Tell me what you can about whoever did this to you,' he commanded gentle.

Bella choked as she gulped, coughing violently. 'Wiz—ard, my—my y-year, final Hogw—rts yea—r.' She began to hyperventilate, grunting between breaths, as though in pain. 'Rav—en—claw. ARGH!'

Draco winced and lent back at Bella screamed in his ear. She jolted away from him, slipping out of his grasp. She immediately started clawing at her face.

'Potter, quickly, stun her,' Draco said, horrified as he watched his Aunt rip at her eyes.

The jet of light flew passed his cheek and the witch collapsed onto the floor, twitching occasionally.

'I'm pretty sure Lestrange was a Ravenclaw,' Potter said, as he stepped behind Draco and lay the other wizard's wand on his shoulder. Draco took his wand back and tucked it into his holder.

'Let's, let's put her on a bed,' Draco said.

Potter looked at the former Slytherin and nodded, summoning a bed for the bleeding witch.

'Are you any good at healing spells?' Potter asked.

'No, you?'

'No. Angelina's a bit dodgy at them too.'

Draco sighed. 'My wife is a healer, but I'm not sure she will want to help Bella, given who she is…'

'I thought you said your wife was caring and forgiving.'

'She is… but, this is Bellatrix Lestrange, Muggle-born killer extraordinaire.'

'So?'

Draco looked at Potter. 'So, my wife is a Muggle-born.'

Potter's jaw dropped.

'You look like a stunned mullet, Potter.'

'Well, you did just tell me that the one of the purest bloodlines in Hogwarts married a Muggle-born.'

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed as he took in the sheets that were slowly turning red. 'I'll ask her, but think of a back-up in case she can't help. I will also need to explain just why she is fixing Bellatrix, who is out of jail - I trust you won't let that slip to anyone.'

'Do you have to explain?'

'To my wife, if I want her to have contact with a convicted Muggle-born murderer, yes.'

Potter grimaced at the thought. 'Only if you keep quiet if I tell Mr Weasley.'

'Not a chance. We are involving my wife for professional reasons - to heal someone who was injured when we asked her to answer questions against the force of a curse. Arthur Weasley has no professional need to know.'

Potter scowled. 'Fine, I'll keep quiet.'

Draco nodded to the fireplace. 'Can I use your floo?'

'Use the private one in my study, upstairs, second door on the right.'

'Thanks,' Draco replied, relieved he wouldn't have to floo Hermione with Potter standing next to him.

Hermione agreed to come around in a few minutes, not giving him a chance to explain who the injured witch was.

Draco hurried back to the lounge. Seeing Potter, he said, 'She is on her way.'

'I told you she wouldn't mind,' Potter smirked.

'She didn't give me a chance to say who it was.'

'Ha, you will be in trouble then.'

'I'm aware,' Draco replied with a scowl. 'I was thinking, so you don't overhear me getting reamed and as we will probably need the information, how about you use this time to go to the office and pick up the Auror files on the captured souls?'

Potter's face took on a gloating look as he tapped his chin, 'Hmm, I'm not sure I want to miss this.'

'Going to put personal entertainment before the case?'

Potter scowled in response. 'Fine,' he muttered and stomped out to go to get the files from the ministry.

Draco chewed his lip as he waited alone. Angelina was still sleeping, although Draco had no idea how the female Auror had managed to slumber during Bella's earlier screams.

A knock at the front door stopped his mutilation of his inner cheek. Swinging the door open he saw a female stranger.

'I wasn't ready to see Harry,' she explained.

'Hermione?'

'Can't you recognise your wife?' she teased with a smile.

Draco huffed and swung the door wider so she could enter. 'My wife is very skilled at charms, so it is hardly surprising that when she decides to disguise herself that I don't recognise her. I will, however, say that you walk and smile the same way as always.'

'So where is the patient?'

'In the lounge, but I need to tell you who it is first.'

'No, you don't, I will heal anyone.'

'And you are a truly generous wonder, but I do need to explain,' Draco reiterated, taking her hand and guiding her into the opposite room.

Sitting her down, he continued, 'The person in that room is one of the people whose soul was captured. Given their magical power and the chance that they had the knowledge to try and fight the containment, we chose this witch in particular to question. The witch has been captured for about thirty years and in those thirty years has done terrible things: although we have no way of knowing right now if they did it because of the soul capture or it was their choice. The witch was convicted by the Ministry to life in Azkaban and is only out so we can question her without the added strain of the dementors.'

His wife had wide eyes, but she continued to nod. Deciding to lead her the rest of the way to reduce the shock, Draco added, 'It was fortuitous that Potter owns this home, as it allowed us to bring her to a place she knew and felt safe in before her soul was stolen.'

Hermione gasped, her brilliant mind connecting the dots quickly. 'It's Bellatrix Lestrange.'

'Yes, although her soul was captured while she was still a student Hogwarts. She managed to speak through the curse and she was able to give us some details, but the curse took over again and she injured herself as she spoke.'

Hermione drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. 'Whether she chose to scar and torture me or not is beside the point. She is your family and she is injured, show me to her so I can heal her injuries.'

Draco engulfed his wife in a hug. She was right, Bellatrix was his family, despite everything in his head saying she was evil; he dearly hoped the soul capture was the reason for her evil nature. He wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking, but it made sense when he considered his mother, Aunt Andromeda, and their cousin Sirius, even Regulus: none of the younger generation had been as inherently evil as Bellatrix.

Hermione kissed his cheek and walked resolutely into the lounge; Draco, seeing a slight tremble in her arm, wrapped his warm arm around her waist and followed her in.

Hermione made quick work of the injuries and soon left, assuring Draco that she was fine and he should stay at Harry's until Bellatrix was returned to Azkaban.

* * *

 **A/N: It's Hermione such a kind idealist! As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **StBerryFan22** [*happy dance*]; **Chester99** [hmm, well it is an AU story, but at least there are some answers for you below. And good thinking on the multiple people... *whistles to self*]; **fatyellowrat** [Haha, well I can't tell you what is going to happen in the mystery!]; **BSwfty1997** [Thanks!]; **cares1970** [Thank you! Yes, Harry made a mistake, and while it was a big one, he does have some softening factors]; **Nyx-Arae** [Bahaha, you just gave me the image of Bella running around threatening to crucio people unless they hug her! To the other point - to quote one of my favourite lines from BBCs Coupling tv show: 'You'll find out']; **Lanalee1** [Thanks! Yeah, at least Ron has an excuse for his actions - the deputy is just an awful person!]; **kvarsha** [Thanks, I like this Hermione and Draco]; **AliceGI** [Thank you!]; **patty cakes rock** [She is an interesting one, but remember, Hermione and Draco want to go home once it is sorted, and the story follows them]; ****Kermit** **304**** [Hmm... too quickly? The purpose is so that they can control the soul - I hope Draco mentioned that already! As for the others, you fill find some answers below]; **sara** [Thanks!]; **Cat130** [Thanks!]; and **LittlebigmouthOKC** [Yeah, she is pretty kick-ass in her goodness].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Draco, Potter and Angelina waited another two days; pouring over the files, hoping Bellatrix would fight off the curse again. However, Bellatrix stayed in a crazed and venomous state: one that Draco clearly recalled as her norm when living in Malfoy Manor during Voldemort's residence.

Grudgingly, the three gave up and moved her back to Azkaban. As the Aurors escorted Bellatrix back, Draco couldn't stop the pang of guilt. While he hoped that the soul capture was the reason for her crimes, he also hoped that she hadn't been jailed for most of her life because someone got away with using dark magic on her.

Determined to resolve the case as quickly as possible, Draco found himself staying at work later and later, trying to find a breakthrough. He managed to find the approximate dates for the capture of the remaining souls by the end of the week, as well as the unlock key – the spell and password to be spoken by the Carterate Box's creator – needed to release the souls safely.

A week later found Draco sitting in Potter's office at nine o'clock in the morning, waiting for another meeting between the three to begin. He twisted his wand between his fingers as he waited for Potter and Angelina to appear.

The door crashed open as Potter stumbled in, hair messier than usual and dark smudges under his eyes.

'Morning, Potter,' Draco said cheerfully.

Potter scowled and brought a cup of tea to his lips, gulping the hot liquid down.

'Roll out of the wrong side of bed?' Draco teased.

Potter blushed.

 _Goblin gold!_

'Or was it someone else's bed?' he asked with evident glee.

The red flush extended.

'None of your business,' Potter snapped.

 _An admission if ever I have heard one_.

'Oh, so someone's bed you shouldn't have been warming then.'

'Not in the mood, Malfoy.'

Draco held his hands up in surrender. 'Well, while you have been warming someone-out-of-bounds' bed, I have been here at all hours trying to find information on the Carterate Box, missing the warmth of my own wife.'

Potter shot him an exasperated look and sent his patronus to summon Angelina.

When the third and final member arrived, they began.

It was quickly established that four of the captured souls were taken within three weeks of the Carterate Box being created, the remainder had been at various times over the years. These latter ones, they reasoned, where more likely attacks of convenience; rather than being the reason for the box's creation. Given this, the highest likelihood for finding the creator would be to concentrate on the lives of the initial four, while just skimming the surface of the other sixes lives.

Angelina started by outlining the four key captured souls:

'Molly Prewett, soul captured in her final year at Hogwarts. Previous a high scoring student, close to family and an impeccable pureblood daughter, she played Quidditch for her house team and was offered a chance to play for the Holyhead Harpies. She was also betrothed to Rodolphus Lestrange. After the approximate soul capture date, her grades dropped and when she left Hogwarts, she ran off with Arthur Weasley and married him, starting a family pretty much immediately. She didn't take the Quidditch position – well, I suppose, she was pregnant and it is a dangerous sport - and her family cut ties to her. She has stayed a live-at-home wife and raised seven children. She is considered a Muggle-lover, although she has a huge stubborn streak and is very defensive of her family.'

'Bellatrix Black, soul captured in her final year at Hogwarts. Previously a high scoring student, she was a well-liked Slytherin and Head Girl. After the approximate soul capture, her grades dropped in Muggle Studies and increased in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions. She fell in with a darker crowd, started getting detentions for infractions against non-pureblood students and started to get rather sickly with lots of visits to the hospital wing. She got engaged to Lestrange immediately after Molly broke the betrothal. She took the Dark Mark after graduating and obtained a job in the Department of Mysteries. When the Dark Lord was defeated, she attacked the Longbottoms and was jailed. Voldemort released her when he returned to power and she continued to commit vicious crimes. She was caught in the Final Battle and jailed once more. She is not family orientated and is considered an extreme pureblood believer.'

'Understatement of the year,' Potter muttered quietly.

'Moving on, James Farweather, soul captured two weeks after the creation of the Carterate Box. He was a Senior Ministry Official at the time working as Assistant Head of the Department of Muggle Relations. He was very pro-muggle, but for the last thirty years has since placed many restrictions and increased the difficulty of moving between worlds, advocating that Muggle-borns should assimilate rather than bring any Muggle culture with them. He has turned down promotions and offers to relocate to other areas of the ministry.'

'Thirty years in one job - that is a bit strange given how high he was in the department, for his age, before the curse: I would have assumed he was highly ambitions. I'd say we can tentatively say that the creator wanted Farweather in this position,' Draco added.

Angelina took a mouthful of water and then continued: 'Toby Cultine, soul captured approximately three weeks after the box's creation. He was working in the Ministry, Department of International Relations, when his soul was captured. He was also liberal towards Muggles and non-purebloods. However, after his soul capture, he has worked on encouraging stronger anti-Muggle legislation in other countries. He has moved around in his department a lot, from country to country. Last week marked the final country he worked with and he is now moving to the Legal Department, although he is well passed retiring age and looks more than ready for retirement.'

'I think we all see the obvious pattern,' Draco put in. Angelina and Potter nodded.

'Except Molly,' Potter added.

'I think there was a different motive for her, and I think she might be the key to this,' Draco commented.

Angelina quickly ran through Donald Littleback, Lucus Dollstien, George Green, John Trillor, Peter Graves, and Lois Pennyfeather: nothing different arising and the theme of anti-Muggle or Muggle-born tendencies continued. It was clear that whoever was behind this had been quietly manipulating the scenes to isolate Muggle-borns and keep Muggle traditions and culture out of the magical world.

'Bellatrix said the person was a Ravenclaw in her year at Hogwarts. Do you have the list of students?' Draco asked.

Potter pulled out the parchment with a frown. 'This is the full student list for Bellatrix's final year at Hogwarts.'

Draco flicked his wrist and the letters reorganised into a table by house and year.

'Neat trick, where did you learn that?' Potter asked.

Draco smirked as a picture of his smiling wife teaching him the spell while scolding his lack of organising entered his mind. 'My wife.'

'The testing showed it was a wizard,' Draco added, with another flick of his wrist the parchment was rearranged.

There were now ten wizards separated from the hundreds of students.

'Given the anti-Muggle commonality, we can probably focus on purebloods,' Angelina added.

'Voldemort was a Half-blood,' Potter countered.

'I'll remove the Muggle-borns,' Draco compromised. A final flick of his wrist left five names.

Diggory, Amos

Greyback, Fenrir

Lestrange, Rodolphus

Pennyfeather, Hugo

Weasley, Arthur

'Hugo Pennyfeather, that name sounds familiar,' Angelina said.

'One of the targets was Lois Pennyfeather, so Hugo is a distinct possibility,' Potter replied.

'But Lois wasn't caught early on,' Angelina argued.

'Yes, but wasn't Lois overseas when the box was first created? Perhaps Hugo didn't have an earlier chance, given he was at school.'

Angelina nodded. 'I suppose.'

'We can cross off Greyback, he was killed during the war,' Draco added. 'If it was him, the Carterate Box would have failed by now and the souls would no longer be contained.'

Angelina and Potter agreed, recalling the cremation of the werewolf.

Draco crossed out Greyback.

 _Four left, two standouts: Lestrange and Pennyfeather._

'I suppose the next step,' Angelina said as she looked at the list, 'is to figure out what each of these people had in common with Molly, given her attitude change was the odd one out. Lestrange and Arthur are obvious, but we should check the other two. Harry, do you have a preference of who you research?'

'Not really.'

'Okay, you can have Diggory and I'll take Pennyfeather.'

'If you can get me their magical signatures, I can run them against the Carterate Box: it might give a reading if one of them is the creator,' Draco said.

'Do you have the release spell yet?' Potter asked.

'Yes, once we know who it is, we can get them to use the spell,' Draco replied. 'If that's all, I'm in desperate need of coffee. You'll arrange a meeting when you have news?'

'Yes, see you later, Malfoy.'

Draco slipped out, leaving the Aurors to continue dividing up the investigating tasks.

* * *

 **A/N: Dun dun dun! As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! So an uber long chapter this time - because I decided to be nice and not cut this into two - it was always going to be one, but once I started writing it Draco swiped control for a bit. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **Honoria Granger** [Okay, no more killing you. Hmm, not sure about Adela, I just made up that one by jumbling words together and looking up old names]; **arabellagrace** [he is being investigated along with the other three - however bias he thinks, Harry and Angelina are good at their job]; **StBerryFan22** [Thank you so much! A little break from the mystery this chapter, but I think I'll be forgiven XD]; **Kallanit** [You'll find out XD]; **Chester99** [Hmm, well I suppose I can tell you this - since it is not mentioned later, Bella was  not involved with Arthur.]; **Lynn** [Wallah]; **Riesa** [You are in luck, Hermione fun below]; **CrazyPedantic** [Yes, the deputy is the same eejit. Wait until it's calmer? Where is the fun in that ;) Yes the creator's name is mentioned. I'll leave Harry's bed companion to your imagination and just say it wasn't the creator of the box :p ]; **cares1970** and **patty cakes rock** [*more twidling of thumbs and looking at sky* ... oh look - Harry!]; **Kermit 304** [To be fair, all four are all being investigated despite intuition]; **Littlebigmouth** ['You'll find out,' I reply perkily]; and **flame55** , **BSwfty1997** , **Cat130** [Thanks!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Draco sat at his desk, frowning at the Carterate Box. He couldn't think of any more tests to run until he had the magical signatures from Angelina and Potter.

 _So bored… stupid box_.

His boredom was relieved when an owl swopped in and dropped a message on his desk. Looking at the direction, Draco easily recognised his wife's writing.

The blond pulled open the note and relaxed back into his chair.

Morning Love,

I hope I am not interrupting anything too important,

 _Not a thing_.

if I have, I'm sorry and I'll make it up to you.

 _That only ever means one thing, hmm, perhaps I was awfully busy…_

I have thought about asking Harry for the serum, I will. It is also time I stopped cowering

 _It is._

and let him know… well, everything. Can you invite him to dinner tonight?

 _Pity, I was looking forward to Hermione making it up to me for disrupting my very busy work._

I have the night off from the hospital, so I can cook something. If he can arrive around six tonight? Let me know what he says.

And as for making it up to you, what about all weekend instead of tonight?

Love you,

Hermione xoxoxox

A fire sparked in Draco's eyes as he thought of the weekend ahead.

 _I guess I had best make sure that comes about and get Potter to come over for dinner_ _._

Locking his office behind him, Draco headed up to Potter's. The door was closed when he arrived, he knocked and called out.

The male Auror's head poked around the door with a scowl. 'I'm at lunch, can this wait?'

'Not really,' Draco replied.

Potter's shoulders slumped slightly and he opened the door. 'Come on in then and tell me what's so very important.'

Draco stepped inside and glanced around, he could see the Hermione search wall.

 _I wonder if Potter spends every lunch break looking for Hermione._

'Well?' Potter prompted.

'What are you doing tonight?' Draco asked.

'Are you asking me out? You're really not my type, Malfoy,' Potter said with amusement.

'Don't fret your scruffy, little head, Potter, I love my wife very much and am not looking for a substitute. Actually, it is because of my wife that I'm here. She wants you to come around for dinner tonight.'

'Merlin, you haven't married a groupie have you?'

'Not at all, I assure you. You should come to dinner, Potter.'

'Why?' Potter asked, glancing towards his wall showing the search for Hermione. 'I really should be working on that tonight.'

'I promise you will not regret it if you take the night off and come to dinner.'

'You aren't going to let up until I agree are you?'

'No, so how about you save us some time and just agree.'

'You still haven't told me why,' Potter groused.

'Because my wife asked me to invite you and I don't want to deny her something she wants.'

'She sounds spoilt,' Potter commented.

'I do my best,' Draco countered, although giving Potter a warning glance to remind him that he was talking about the blond's wife.

'Fine,' Potter sighed. 'What time?'

'Arrive at six,' Draco replied. Picking up a quill from the desk, he jotted the address down. 'See you tonight, Potter.'

'Yeah, sure,' the Auror said, turning back to his photo of Hermione, as if hoping she would say where she was.

Draco grimaced as he left Potter to resume his search.

 _This reunion is going to be revoltingly sappy._

* * *

Hermione darted around the kitchen like a bee in a field of wildflowers, while Draco sat in a chair watching her with a bemused expression.

A hiss sounded through the room as a sauce boiled over the edge of a pot and onto the stove. Hermione immediately swished her wand to clean it up and dropped the heat under the pot.

'Are you sure I can't give you a hand, love?' Draco asked.

'Don't interfere, I have everything under control,' Hermione warned sternly.

Right on cue, the knife she had spelled to cut the salad ingredients finished with the vegetables and moved on to cutting the next closest item, a dish washing sponge. Draco watched the knife mangle the sponge, it was easily replaceable and probably safer to leave it until Hermione noticed, given her current stress level.

By the time dinner was prepared and standing, the knife had moved on to the scrubbing brush before Hermione noticed its run away action. Draco intentionally glanced in the other direction so Hermione thought he didn't notice her oversight. When he glanced back, all evidence of the rogue knife had disappeared and Hermione was bustling over the presentation of the dishes.

He smirked, his eyes shining at her with exasperated amusement.

'Do you think it is okay?' Hermione asked, bouncing from foot to foot as she fiddled with some parsley on the dish.

'I think it looks fantastic, love, you are a brilliant chef,' Draco soothed, standing up to hold her around the waist, grinding into her lightly.

'Okay. Hopefully he won't be too mad at me.'

'He has no right to be mad, he was the one who wronged you,' Draco reiterated for what must have been the twelfth time that night.

'I know, I know, but I should have left contact details.'

'No buts, love. You tried, the letters were returned.'

Hermione's shoulders dropped. 'But still—'

Draco sighed and spun her to face him, leaning his forehead against hers. 'You have done nothing wrong, you found out about him wanting to establish contact and are reaching out, forgiving him. It's his fault that he didn't check marriage registrars or figure out you would be a healer.'

'I don't know,' Hermione replied uncertainly, her usual confident-self evaporated, turning her back into the insecure girl at Hogwarts who was desperate for approval from teachers to fill the void her friends, and he, had created.

'I am sure, now, while you look stunning and there is nothing I'd rather do right now than show you just how wonderful you are,' he said with a suggestive grin, 'you have some sauce on your cheek.'

Hermione yelped and shoved him away, darting to the window to see her reflection and remove the gooey substance.

'Stop laughing,' Hermione warned.

He didn't, doubling over with more mirth than before when a wooden spoon flew through the air and only just missed his shoulder - thanks to a last minute dodge.

'Prat,' she muttered, although a smile settled on her lips and the dancing light in her eyes reassured Draco he was safe from a second attempt.

'Is it all gone?' Hermione asked, turning back to her still chuckling husband.

'Yes, and you look stunning, in fact, maybe,' Draco began as he scooped up some sweet sauce onto his finger, 'you look far to beautiful and we should put the sauce back to ensure Potter doesn't come to his senses and try and steal you away from me, he is obviously already obsessed; given the search wall in his office…'

Hermione shrieked and bounced out away, knowing full well that Draco would put the sauce on her, which would lead to him kissing it off, and that would lead to things they just didn't have time for. She darted from the kitchen, taking refuge on the opposite side of the sofa.

Draco hastened after her, jumping straight over the seat to reach her. They dashed around the lounge, through the dining room and into the parlour, before Draco finally caught her and smeared the sauce on the hollow of her throat.

'Nope, that makes you even more desirable,' he whispered in a husky voice, capturing her lips before his own trailed down her jaw and towards the base of her neck.

Hermione moaned as she completely relaxed in his arms.

A high ting sounded through the house, the wards sending an alert. Draco ignored it, focusing instead on his wife. Hermione barely registered the warning, but she did hear the knock on the door and pulled herself upright in Draco's arms.

 _Damn Potter, the git has the worst timing in the world_. _Okay, new plan._ _Step one, get rid of Potter. Step two, re-seduce wife._

'Not going to happen, love,' Hermione said as she wriggled from his arms.

'Hmm?' Draco asked innocently.

'You forget how well I know you, love. Now go and let Harry in and bring him to the lounge… I'll be very angry if you tell him to go away,' she said with a look that Draco would call stern. if she didn't look once more like a lion cub trying to assert its dominance.

'I promise I won't make him leave,' Draco replied with disappointment.

* * *

Hermione sat in the lounge, smoothing her dress and checking the sauce had gone from her throat, she had to admit her husband was very effective at finding enjoyable ways to distract her.

She could just overhear the conversation at the front door.

'Evening, Potter. Come in,' Draco's smooth voice resonated.

'Malfoy.'

 _Hmm, Harry sounds exhausted_.

'Chuck your jacket on that hook there if you like,' Draco said.

She heard some shuffling. 'Thanks,' came Harry's reply.

'My wife is in the lounge, I'll show you through.'

'And you promise she is not a groupie?'

 _A groupie! He thinks I'm a groupie!_

'I swear she is not a groupie, but I think you will like meeting my Muggle-born healer wife.'

 _Blunt, my dear, but I doubt Harry will narrow it down enough to figure out who you married between the hall and lounge – even if he did already have that information._

Draco continued, 'Did you come straight from the office?'

'Yeah, just doing some research on Hermione. She always liked charms, so I am checking into Charms colleges around the world.'

'Well, no more of that,' Draco answered.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the double meaning.

She moved in her seat, trying to get comfortable, before giving up and standing. The two men walked through the door, Draco in the lead, Harry looking at him, about to say something else.

'And here is my wonderful wife,' Draco cut in.

Harry turned towards her, saying, 'Healer Malfoy, it's a pleasure to— Hermione?'

'Hello Harry,' she said gently.

'I—I—I—'

'Yes, it's the ninth letter of the alphabet,' Draco interjected.

Hermione sent him a warning look and he shrugged innocently in response, mouthing 'what'. Her look hardened and he smirked, uncaring that he hadn't gotten away with the false innocence.

'Hermione, but, I don't understand… How are you here!?'

'I moved to France four years ago. I met Draco there and we fell in love, marrying a year ago. I am here while Draco is on the temporary transfer, as we didn't want to be separated for so long.'

Harry looked frantically between the pair, jaw open, eyes finally settling on Draco with a fire burning in them.

'You knew! You knew I was looking for her and you didn't tell me!' he shouted at Draco.

'Yes. I knew and told Hermione. My loyalty is to her, one hundred percent,' Draco replied calmly.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Harry continued to shout.

'Harry, stop shouting at him. He is the reason you are here tonight. If he didn't tell me you were sorry and searching for me, then I would not have requested Draco ask you to dinner.'

'But—'

'No buts, Harry. You will not shout at my husband just because you are surprised,' Hermione said in a diamond cut tone.

Harry looked at the floor, breathing heavily.

'I don't know what to say,' Harry said.

'You did mention something about begging Hermione for forgiveness when I saw the wall in your office,' Draco replied as he flicked some non-existent fluff from his sleeve.

Harry looked at Draco for a moment, judging him, then nodded and turned to Hermione.

'He is right. When I heard you had split up from Ron, I didn't know he cheated on you: Ron said you had returned and were really condescending to him, telling him that you were smarter than him and that you were going to find a better wizard. I was still reeling from the war, but that's no excuse for not hearing your side of the story, especially given you sent me seven letters, none of which I read. I am so sorry! I was a terrible friend and a complete moron. By the time I came out of my daze four months later, I found out that Lavender had miscarried; and she had been four and a half months pregnant with Ron's kid. I could do the math. I am so, so sorry, Hermione! It shouldn't have taken me so long to realise my mistake, but it did, and while I can't take that back - no matter how much I wish I could - I can promise to never judge you so quickly again and that in the future I will always listen to your side. If you give me the chance, I will spend all my time making it up to you and being the best friend you could want.'

'Oh, Harry!' Hermione said, rushing over to hug him. 'Of course I forgive you, you numpty.'

'Okay, I deserved that,' Harry admitted when he heard the insult.

Draco rolled his eyes at the sappy scene and tried determinedly to stamp on the jealously rising in his chest as Potter wrapped Hermione into a tight hug. Giving up when it refused to be doused, he intervened. 'Okay, enough Gryffindor histrionics, time to break it up,' he said as he untwined Hermione from Harry's arms and wrapped his own around her waist.

Hermione smiled at her husband's antics: she knew Draco trusted her implicitly and that he didn't mean any harm by his jealous streak.

'Envious, Malfoy?' Harry questioned, a little irritated the blond had ended the emotional reunion.

Draco shrugged. 'Standard hug time is three seconds, if you exceed it, I'm allowed to break in - unless one person is upset.'

'Researched it have you?' Harry asked sarcastically.

'Yes,' Draco sniffed.

'And this rule you set-up…' Harry added.

'My rule, actually,' Hermione put in.

Harry looked between the pair and started to laugh.

'What?' Draco asked Harry with irritation.

'You two, you actually had an argument about hugs and researched until you had a compromise,' Harry stuttered out between cackles.

Hermione and Draco's lips twitched, amused and uncaring of Harry's judgement. Both of them had a bit of a jealous streak and they did what worked for their relationship, other opinions be damned.

'You okay there?' Draco asked indifferently as Harry began to gasp for breath.

Harry glared, the tears of laughter glinting at the edge of his eyes. He eventually got control of his breathing and straightened up. 'Okay, I think you are going to have to explain how this,' he said with a gesture between the couple, 'came about.'

'Sure, have a seat,' Draco said, moving himself and Hermione to the dining table and floating the food in carefully with a flick of his wrist.

'You seem surprisingly okay with my marriage,' Hermione commented, 'I'll admit, I was expecting more fireworks.'

'I have missed the last four years of your life, but even before that, I would never have had the right to judge your relationship. It is your life and your choice, all I can do is be there to support you, and, if I think you are making a mistake, tell you why once and then shut up. Besides, I've gotten to know Draco, he obviously loves you and he is, I suppose, alright.'

'Aww, I like you too, Potter,' Draco could help but snark.

'I keep telling you, Malfoy, you're not my type,' Harry replied with fake panic.

The two men broke into laughter and Hermione looked between them, confused.

 _I think I will chalk this up to strange things that men do and leave it at that_.

The rest of the evening passed in a blaze of laughter and stories mixed with good wine and scrumptious food. Harry was delighted to have Hermione's forgiveness and friendship. Hermione was relieved that Harry held no hard feelings towards her or her marriage. And Draco was just glad Hermione was happy and that Harry easily agreed to provide the Veritaserum, but most of all, he was thrilled when Harry finally left and he was able to pull his wife to bed.

* * *

 **A/N: Phew, that was a long chapter! And Harry finally knows - and he will be meeting the Weasleys soonish... *sniggers as the curiosity of Harry's reactions to them rises* But first, is the hopsital investigation that Hermione has been embroiled in - evil deputy!**

As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! A quick reminder - Hermione has maintained contact with Fred, George, Charlie and Bill, so they all knew that she married Draco and lives in Paris. On the Harry finding out that most of the Weasley's know Hermione is in England or/and married to Draco and usually living in Paris, lets say that it was discussed during the Hermione/Harry/Draco dinner - but Harry is going to a Weasley lunch in a future chapter, so you will get to see some reactions then. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **Honoria Granger** ['But Hermione is nice,' in a whiney tone... maybe, the investigation into Ron is still underway.]; **arabellagrace** [She is nice and Harry didn't intentionally hurt her, just had a dense period while dealing with awful things. More on the evil deputy below.]; **StBerryFan22** [Thank you! There is the first step of Hermione's returning the evil deputy's maliciousness below]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Haha, everyone is so eager for Ron's return! He shows up soonish in a Harry chapter, as Hermione and Draco still have their restraining orders in effect. If it makes you feel any better on his suffering side - he is still suspended]; **angelofdestiny16** [*happy dance*]; **ShamelesslessObsessed** [Damn, Angelina works with Harry... this is why I post chapter by chapter, I forget things occasionally - hmm, a few amendments required to match a later scene - Thanks!]; **Chester99** [Harry does some helping out to suck up below. Hmm, something to perhaps include. I suppose some have to be punished ;) ]; **CrazyPedantic** [Yes, the Ron investigation is still going on, and most definitely you will know the result. Excellent to hear, friendly teasing is what I was aiming for]; **patty cakes rock** [It took him a while, thanks to his secretiveness, but we got there in the end.]; **Kermit 304** [Hmm, some very interesting questions. The souls are contained to the box, but still linked to the body, as they were captured for control (unlike a dementor sucking the soul). Once a soul is in the box, the maker does not need contact with the box to control the soul, the control already establish by magical links. On the souls interacting, I hadn't thought of that one! As I didn't, I'll say, no they cannot interact inside the box.]; **dixie326** [Ah, yes, Harry found at during the dinner with Hermione and Draco, however he will be meeting with the Weasleys in a future chapter]; **tiachutis** [Thanks :) Dinner is now finished, Harry will make an appearance in this chapter, but not a huge one - hope you enjoy]; **Littlebigmouth** [Thank you!...err, maybe avoid _For the best_ then if it is a major pet peeve ;)]; **Guest** [It's Harry, not Draco, will be meeting the Weasleys again soon]; and **BSwfty1997** , **Cat130** , **fatyellowrat** , **bludgerwombat** [Thank you!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Hermione straightened her suit as she waited to be called into the meeting office, going over in her mind how she planned to handle the investigation meeting about to start. She was a strong believer that it was best to have a plan to handle such sensitive situations. She was going to allow the deputy to dig his own grave, she would request he provided his official report first. Once he was on the record as lying, she would testify using the serum.

Harry had promised to bring the Veritaserum to the investigation meeting today – proving that it was direct from the Auror Office and so could not have been tampered with.

She saw the deputy arrive and sit opposite her, a malicious grin on his face. Hermione stared right back at him with an arched eyebrow.

Healer Soundleaf arrived a moment later and sat an equal distance from Hermione and the deputy. Hermione furrowed her brow at Healer Soundleaf, a quote by Desmond Tutu springing to her mind: _'If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has a foot on the tail of the mouse and you say you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality'_.

Hermione was pulled from her musings as the meeting door opened and the waiting three were called into the room. There were five additional people already inside. Hermione recognised the director of the hospital, Director Felix, but didn't know anyone else.

Director Felix invited everyone to sit and began the meeting in a serious tone, 'Thank you all for coming to discuss this very serious allegation. Part of the investigation is complete, however Deputy Stevens and Healer Malfoy will be providing official, honesty testimony today. For the transcript, I am Director Felix, Director of St Mungo's. Also in the room we have: Assistant Director Greenwood; our head of the legal, Mr Sage; our head of personnel, Mrs Lux; Ms Fairfax, recording a transcript of the meeting; Deputy Stevens, the accuser; Healer Malfoy, the accused; and Healer Soundleaf, the supervisor of the two individuals. Right, let's get on with it. Healer Malfoy, as the accused you may choose to present your testimony first.'

Hermione replied clearly and calmly, 'I would prefer Deputy Stevens to provide his testimony first.'

Director Felix turned to Deputy Stevens and said, 'Deputy Stevens, you may begin your official, honest testimony.'

Deputy Stevens made a show of looking at Hermione and wincing.

'Is there a problem, Deputy Stevens?' Director Felix asked.

'I'm sorry, it's—it's just hard… with her in the room,' Deputy Stevens said in a strained voice.

Hermione had to bite her cheek to stop her reaction.

 _Manipulative, lying piece of slime!_

'I understand it might be difficult, Deputy Stevens, however the official process must be followed, as this is within the bounds of hospital policy. We cannot follow a court trial in this instance, bound as we are. In the hospital, the accused is given the opportunity to confront the accuser in all cases.'

'Of course, sir, just—please, just give me a moment to collect myself,' he stammered.

Hermione saw the head of personnel, Ms Lux, look sympathetic and lean forward to pat his hand, drawing back a moment before she reached Deputy Stevens.

A pang a copper reached the tastebuds of her tongue.

 _Great, I just bit my cheek and now I'll have blood on my teeth during my testimony - as if this day wasn't already bad enough_.

Hermione took a sip of water from the glass in front of her, trying to rid her mouth of the unpleasant taste.

Deputy Stevens eventually managed to stutter and stumble, to great effect, his well-rehearsed story out in full; complete with terrified looks towards Hermione. He claimed to have been accosted by her no less than six times, each description more immoral than the last.

Hermione managed to maintain her calm at all the slurs by repeating a mantra in her head, it might not have been the most generous mantra, but it did keep her calm: _Breath in. The truth will out. Breath out. He will regret this._ _Breath in. The truth will out. Breath out. He will regret this._ With the mantra, she somehow managed to keep Draco's look of studied indifference on her face.

When asked for proof, the deputy claimed that Hermione used magic to remove all of the evidence, ensure that it was his word against hers - which was, apparently, why he took so long to report the inappropriate actions.

When his tale was finished an hour later, and the head of personnel and the transcript recorder were looking at her with disgust, Director Felix took a deep breath and said, 'I think, after that, we should all have a short break and reconvene in a few minutes.'

Everyone nodded and filed out of the room towards the restrooms or the coffee machine.

Hermione used the drinking fountain quickly, trying to rinse her mouth from the remaining blood, and then sat in the hall once more - the only place which had any resemblance of a breeze - imagining the wind was carrying away her irritation.

Deputy Stevens took a seat opposite her once more, triumphant grin on his face.

He said in a voice just loud enough for her to hear, 'You should have done as I commanded when you started. If you'd obeyed me, this wouldn't be happening - you should have known your place! I know that lot wish you were to take over my position, you should have heard them speaking before you arrive - "the wonderful Healer Malfoy", "we are so lucky to have her", "do you think we can convince her to stay" - but now, that will never happen. You will be destroyed. And you know what? I'm glad to be the one to do it. Women have no place in a position of authority. You are clearly less powerful and intelligent - look at the mess you are in that you can't extract yourself from!'

She allowed a smug grin to take over her own face, happily imaging the look on his face when she revealed her plan to 'extract' herself. She was snapped from her musings by the voice of Harry Potter, 'Well, this is friendly, isn't it? You could cut the tension in here with a scalpel.'

'Oh gosh, you're Harry Potter! Wow! It's an honour to meet you,' Deputy Stevens said rising and trying to take Harry's hand to shake it.

Harry looked at the man and avoided the offered hand; realising Hermione didn't like him, but not knowing why.

'My name is Charles Stevens, I'm a healer here, deputy to the head of the Emergency Ward,' he gloated.

'Are you?' Harry replied, now caught up on exactly who the man was and why Hermione didn't like him. 'For how long?'

The deputy looked at him with a confused expression. 'Huh?'

'Hello, Harry. How have you been today?' Hermione asked, stealing her friend's attention.

'Quite well, Hermione. Although, I ended up getting up frightfully early to get into my office to clean up my pin wall – a lot of irrelevant information was on it than was no longer needed,' he replied, referring to the material searching for Hermione.

'From what I have heard, it must have taken you a while.'

'What have you heard?'

'Draco filled me in on the wealth of information contained on the pin board,' Hermione teased.

'Rotten prat he is,' Harry muttered.

'No calling my husband nasty names,' Hermione scolded lightly.

'Humph! Can you believe Angelina called in to say she was working from home for a bit? Apparently, the twins were testing something and they now need constant supervision.'

'Oh dear, what happened?' Hermione asked with concern.

Harry shrugged. 'She mentioned something about them turning into strange animals, apparently she needs to keep an eye on them as the effects aren't going as planned.'

'Well, it is the twins - who knows what dangerous and rare ingredients they used. Do you have it?'

'Oh, damn, I knew there was something I was forgetting,' he replied sarcastically, continuing with exasperation, 'Of course, I have it.'

'Okay, everyone let's continue, shall we? Oh, Auror Potter, can I help you with something?' Director Felix asked, coming to greet him.

'Actually, the Auror Department was requested to provide an item for an investigation meeting you are holding, I have brought that item,' Harry replied.

'Err, they were? Well, okay, please join us,' replied the baffled director, gesturing to the room.

Hermione glanced at Deputy Stevens before following the others into the meeting room: she was cheered slightly when she realised his complexion paler than normal, hopefully from apprehension about Harry's involvement.

Director Felix started off again, 'Healer Malfoy, you may provide your version of the event if you so choose, err, unless Auror Potter needs this moment.'

'I'll jump in when necessary,' Harry replied.

The director nodded to Hermione.

'Certainly, Director Felix,' she acknowledged, 'however, I would like to provide my testimony while under the effects of Veritaserum.'

'Veritaserum? You don't need to do that Healer Malfoy,' the head of legal replied.

'Actually I think I do, as it will prove that the information I impart is the truth,' Hermione justified.

'Very well, we will need to place a request with the Auror Department—' the head of legal paused, eyes narrowing on Harry.

'That would be my cue,' Harry inputted, pulling a vial of clear liquid from his pocket. 'As a member of the Auror Department of the Ministry of Magic, I verify this vial contains active Veritaserum, three drops need to be administered for truthful testimony, only three. I also confirm that Healer Malfoy is unable to resist the effects of this potion; as a result, her testimony will be her perceived truth.'

The head of legal nodded to the director, who said, 'Please continue, Healer Malfoy.'

'I have a list of questions, I will ask you not to deviate from the listed ones while I am under the influence of the potion,' Hermione said, sliding a piece of paper across the table after hastily adding a final question.

The investigators looked at the list and then glanced at each other, nodding.

'These are acceptable, we agree to the limitation,' the director replied.

Hermione opened her mouth and Harry administered the three drops so everyone could see the action.

A treacle of sweat ran down Deputy Stevens face, dripping off his chin and splattering on his light blue robes.

'Please state your full name,' Harry said.

'Hermione Jane Malfoy nee Granger.'

'Please state your husband's full name.'

'Draco Lucius Malfoy.'

'Please state what class you failed at Hogwarts.'

'I never failed a class, I removed myself from Divination before it registered on my transcript.'

'As a member of the Auror Department of the Ministry of Magic, I verify this vial of Veritaserum is working. Healer Malfoy may begin her testimony. The potion will last for a maximum of thirty minutes, but the effects can be ended if I administer this antidote,' Harry finished off, holding up a small bottle of pink liquid. He then folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

All eyes turned to Hermione as she began her testimony.

Her clear, efficient defence quickly established that Deputy Stevens had been lying in his own testimony. While under the effects, Hermione highlighted the damage the false accusation could inflict on her reputation, career and marriage.

Towards the end, the four investigators questioned Hermione, although by this stage even Deputy Stevens was sure of an outcome in Hermione's favour.

'Healer Malfoy, have you ever physically touched Deputy Stevens?'

'I shook his hand when we meet, other than that one occasion, no, I have not.'

'Have you even made a personal or sexual comment towards Deputy Stevens?'

'No, any discussions we had were related directly to the treatment of patients or my contractual hours.'

'Contractual hours? Please explain further, Healer Malfoy.'

'Deputy Stevens tried to extend my working hours above those outlined in my contract. I refused. The matter was taken to Healer Soundleaf and the Assistant Director Greenwood where it was resolved that my hours would not be extended nor could I be asked to stay after my shift was completed.'

Assistant Director Greenwood and Healer Soundleaf unnecessarily confirmed the statement.

'Have you ever been interested in Deputy Stevens in a sexual manner?'

'No, I most definitely have not. He repulses me.'

'Have you ever tried to dominate Deputy Stevens?'

'I have not.'

'Have you ever entered a storage cupboard with Deputy Stevens?'

'No.'

'Was anything Deputy Stevens accused you of correct?'

'No.'

'Does anyone want to ask any other question on this list of Healer Malfoy?' Director Felix asked.

'Yes,' Ms Lux added. 'Could you please answer the last question you added: What was the reasons Deputy Stevens gave you for his actions?'

Hermione reiterated her recent conversation with the deputy, concluding, 'I believe that he was upset he could not control a female and that he sees women as unequal to men. It also seems that he was jealous of my skills and felt threatened by me.'

The other attendees of the meeting narrowed their eyes at the deputy in response to Hermione's answer.

Heads shook around the table and Director Felix said, 'Auror Potter, could you please administer the antidote?'

Harry nodded and pulled out his little vial of pink liquid. Hermione gulped down the antidote quickly, shaking slightly.

'I suggest a five minute break, Director Felix, the serum effects unsteadies the consumer for a short time,' Harry said.

'Of course, perhaps we can deliberate the information while Deputy Stevens, Healer Malfoy, Healer Soundleaf and Auror Potter wait outside. Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Auror Potter.'

Harry nodded and helped Hermione outside, gently pushing her into a chair.

* * *

When Harry returned to his office after watching Hermione re-enter the meeting room to find out the verdict, he found Draco sitting in the chair behind his desk.

'Comfortable there, Malfoy?' he asked sarcastically.

The blond shrugged and stood up. 'I didn't know how long you would be and the other chairs are all as uncomfortable as Hades.'

'Can I help you with something?' Harry asked as he took his soft chair back.

'Two things. Firstly, I wanted to know the outcome of your meeting with Shacklebolt about the four possible creators of the Carterate Box. And secondly, I wanted to know how the meeting went with Hermione – will it be finishing up soon?'

Harry gestured to the chair opposite, inviting Draco to sit. When the blond waved his wand and transfigured the chair, Harry rolled his eyes at the blond's antics, but immediately began updating him nonetheless.

'Kingsley said that despite Lestrange and Pennyfeather being the most likely suspects, we have to make sure it is a complete and unbiased investigation to ensure it holds up in court, so Angelina and I will be investigating all four suspects together, which means it will take longer.'

'Any ideas on how long?'

'No, we need to be discrete with part of this, but we will move as quickly as possible to get you those magical signatures.'

Draco nodded, hoping it would take as little time as possible, researching alternative tests for the box was getting tiresome, especially given he knew the magical signatures were most likely to produce the most useful results.

'As for the meeting with Hermione, it went smoothly enough. I left when she was heading back in to hear the verdict, I doubt it'll take long - hospital officals seemed quite put out with the deputy.'

'Okay, in that case, if you need to find me later today, I'll be at home with Hermione,' Draco replied.

'Sure,' Harry said, doubting he would need to locate the blond today, but filing the information away for if he couldn't find him at a later date.

Draco sauntered out the door and Harry sighed as he picked up the file on Amos Diggory.

 _Bloody politics, what a waste of time_ , Harry thought as he opened to the first page and began his research into the genial man who missed his son, Cedric.

* * *

 **A/N: I know, I hate the deputy too - I hope by portarying him this way, particularly compared to Hermione, that others will see just how stupid and dangerous it is to view women as unequal than men. *Deep breaths* Okay, next chapter Harry will be having lunch with the Weasleys. As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **Honoria Granger** [Most definately]; **arabellagrace** [Haha 'you'll find out,' I say perkily]; **StBerryFan22** [Thanks! Haha, nah that's Ron's specialty... I think she generally keeps cool on the outside unless pushed when there is injustice to another defenseless soul - like buckbeak.]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Thanks! Now, I can't answer that!]; **MacKinTosh17** [Thanks! Hmm, a bit off Molly coming up]; **ShamelesslessObsessed** [Glad to hear/read it. Hmm, now I have an image of him holding an animal skull and quote from Hamlet. Enjoy the Weasley twin fun!]; **Chester99** [Punishment a'hoy!]; **CrazyPedantic** [Patience, patience :)]; **patty cakes rock** [narrow-mindedness will do that :'( ]; **Kermit 304** [Thanks, the resolution to the evil deputy is resolved below - private industry has less hoops than public]; **Littlebigmouth** [Ah well, I tried to warn you! Perhaps rather too late though :) Fear not, it won't be awkward... although I highly doubt that will cheer you!]; and **BSwfty1997** , **LanaLee1** , and **fatyellowrat** [Thanks!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

When Hermione arrived home after the meeting, she found her husband leaning against the counter with an open bottle of scotch and two crystal glasses next to him.

She walked in and grinned. Smiling back, he grabbed some ice cubes from the freezer and added them to the glasses, pouring a healthy amount of scotch over the top and holding one glass out to her.

She glanced at the clock with a raised eyebrow.

'A brutal day for you, besides this will help,' he replied.

Her hand wrapped around the heavy glass, a smoky smell rising from its amber liquid.

'I haven't had scotch in ages, where did you find this?'

'I swung by a Muggle store on the way home, I thought we could celebrate the crushing of the deputy and take the edge of the serum's effects in one fell swoop. So, how did it go?' Draco asked.

'I am back to my regular shifts and he has been fired. False accusations usually only result in a warning and being forced on to the shifts no-one else wants, but, in this case, the hospital has fired him: as the false accusations were to intentionally destroy my career, reputation, and marriage for his own security; for lying during honest testimony; and for not upholding the hospital's equality code of conduct. Of course, there will always be people who believe I have used my position as a former member of the "Golden Trio" to cover up questionable actions, but the hospital has promised to squash this to the best of their ability should staff or the media suggest it. The hospital will also be providing me with a glowing reference once I finish. They will also be driving home to all staff and contractors that they are an equal rights organisation and anyone who works for or with them is measured against that principle.'

'As they should,' Draco muttered.

'I now just need to press charges against Deputy Stevens for slander. I have to make sure he learns he can't act that way, although my lawyer says he will most likely settle out of court.'

Draco nodded.

'I'm also mildly tempted to turn him into a female for a period of time to see if he learns to treat women with more respect – I don't think such a step should be necessary for people to understand, but in this case, it might be.'

'I can help if you like,' Draco offered hopefully.

Hermione smirked in reply. 'Maybe, I'll let you know.'

Draco looked mildly disappointed. 'It was also my marriage he was trying to destroy.'

'Fine, you can help if it turns out to be necessary,' Hermione said while rolling her eyes, a small smile on her lips.

Draco grinned.

'I'll cast a spell on him that will alert me if he is maliciously sexist again. If he is, we will start planning his rehabilitation.'

Draco pulled open a draw and retrieved a large book, placing it gently in front of Hermione with a flourish. Hermione rolled her eyes when she read the title, _Mischief Managed: a Slytherin guide to practical retribution spells for every occasion_.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but started to leaf through the book none-the-less.

'I have to admit, Healer Soundleaf surprised me,' Hermione added after a few moments of silence.

'In what way?'

'She stayed neutral. I had expected her to provide me with some support, or at least provide testimony that Deputy Stevens had been making my life difficult since the start.'

'Hmm, maybe Deputy Stevens made a persuasive argument, saying you acted differently when she wasn't around,' Draco suggested.

'Maybe, I guess I won't know if I don't ask her, there is no point making assumptions,' Hermione conceded.

'Anyway, to victory and truth,' Draco said, clinking his glass against Hermione's.

'Victory and truth,' Hermione replied, sipping the burning liquid.

* * *

 **A/N: The promised chapter of Harry having lunch with the Weasleys is posted - click next! click next! Please click next before the pitchforks come back! XD**

 **As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** And your second chapter for the day - happy reading!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Harry stood in 12 Grimmauld Place taking calming breaths. It was the first Sunday of the month. And that meant lunch at the Burrow.

Hermione had informed him that half the Weasley's were still in contact with her and that Molly, Arthur and Ron also knew that Hermione had returned, the later knowing of her marriage. He was determined to convince Molly that her decision to wipe Hermione from their lives was wrong.

Glancing at the clock, Harry realised he was already thirty minutes late thanks to his ineffective calming techniques.

 _Oh, what's another five minutes_ _?_

Harry continued to fill his lungs with air until he summoned the courage to face the formidable Weasley matriarch.

 _Okay, it's now or never_.

He apparated into thin air, reappearing in the Burrow.

'About time, Harry. Mum's beside herself with worry, wondering where you are,' Fred said while Harry reorientated himself.

'Hey, Fred,' Harry replied, given the F emblazoned on the twin's shirt. 'I see you are human again.'

Fred grinned manically.

'Did someone say Harry has arrived?' called Molly.

'Sorry about the delay, Molly, I was held up with something important,' Harry answered.

 _Technically, it is true_.

'Harry, dear, how wonderful it is to see you!' Molly gushed as she bustled into the room and hugged him. 'I'm so pleased you could make it for lunch today.'

He wrapped his arms around her large figure in return.

 _Whatever her faults, Molly does give the best hugs_.

'Fred, have you finished setting the table outside?'

'I'm George,' Fred replied.

'Oh, sorry, dear; go and check on how your brother is doing, there's a good lad,' she said, shooing the gangly red-head from the kitchen.

'Everyone else is outside if you would like to join them, Harry,' Molly offered.

'Are you sure I can't help with anything in here?' Harry offered, glancing around all the pots, knives and spoons magically preparing the masses of food.

'Oh, thank you for the offer, dear, but this kitchen is my domain, now off you trot and have some fun,' she said with a kind, dismissive motion.

'Thanks,' Harry said as he slipped out the door and into the backyard.

'Hiya, Harry,' Harry turned around and saw one of the twins picking lollies out of a bag in his hand and popping them into his mouth.

'Hey, George,' Harry replied.

'Want a lolly?' George offered, holding the bag out.

Harry shook his head, not foolish enough to fall for the trick.

'Don't trust me, Harry?'

'Trust you!' Harry replied with good-humoured incredulousness. 'I'd have to be daft to trust a Weasley twin offering me a lolly.'

An orange snake started to coil around George's leg with a hiss.

George looked at Harry and asked, 'What did it say?'

Harry translated the parseltongue, 'Turn me back or I'll bite you.'

George sniggered. 'You can't bite me without fangs, little bro. You'll turn back before lunch begins… probably.'

The snake drew its head back and surged forward with a quick strike at the twin's leg. Its' gummy jaws hit the pants, no teeth appearing.

George flicked his wand and levitated the snake onto a nearby tree branch. 'I need to know how easily you can control the snake's body coming downwards, let Harry know when you get down,' George instructed before turning back to Harry, pulling out a lolly shaped as an animal and showing it to him. 'Our newest creation: turns you into an animal for thirty minutes, minus harmful attributes so the pranked can't retaliate violently in animal form. Little Ronnikins still hates Slytherins, so he decided to take out his angry by munching on a snake.'

Harry winced.

 _Best not tell Ron that I am working with Malfoy then. I was hoping that the suspension on the tail of Shacklebolt's infamous rant would have forced him into some realities, but evidently not. And I can't believe he didn't tell me he had run into Hermione and that she was married! … but, I suppose I haven't seen him since he was suspended. On that note..._

'So, Malfoy invited me to dinner the other night,' Harry began in a low tone, just in case Molly appeared suddenly.

'Narcissa?' George misdirected with faux-innocence.

Harry rolled his eyes. 'No, Draco Malfoy.'

'That so?' George asked in a carefully blank tone. 'Are you going to go?'

'I already did,' Harry replied.

George hummed. 'Interesting bloke Draco, although he has yet to fall for one of our pranks.'

Harry glared at him. 'Why didn't you tell me you were in contact with her?'

'Didn't think you were interested, mate.'

'I've been searching for her for years to beg her forgiveness for acting like a prat,' Harry hissed.

'Well, you didn't tell any of us that,' George countered with a shrug. 'You never mentioned her.'

'How come you didn't cut her off like your mum ordered?'

'Ron was being a twerp and didn't deserve Hermione. Besides, Mum gets a bit crazy and does random stuff occasionally, so we let her think she has her way and keep on as before; I thought you would have realised that by now… Anyway, since when have Fred or I ever done what we were told?' George pointed out. 'Although, I don't know what you, Dad and Percy were thinking.'

'Clearly, I wasn't,' Harry groused in reply.

'Clearly, lolly?'

Harry sent him a withering glare.

George just shrugged and in a teasing tone said, 'Just in case you had stopped thinking again.'

Harry sneered.

'What it Harry, looks like that dinner with Malfoy rubbed off on you.'

 _Don't huff, don't huff, don't huff._

'What are you two talking about so secretively?' Fred asked from behind Harry, causing the Auror to curse at being caught off guard.

'How did you do that?' he asked with an accusing look.

Fred lifted his shoes. 'Stealth shoes, a must for any prankster, aspiring or notorious.'

'And which are you?' Harry sniped.

'Well passed notorious,' Fred grinned. 'Lolly?'

'I've seen Ron,' Harry said, pointing to the orange snake in the distance that was trying to slide down the tree trunk, but looking rather tentative of attempting the massive feat given its' constant repositioning as it faced towards the ground.

Fred sniggered. 'Daft as a ghoul that one.'

The backdoor swung open and Molly poked her head out, 'George, Fred, lunch is ready, can you bring it outside?'

The twins headed inside, Harry following to help. 'Not you, Harry dear, you go have fun,' Molly said with a smile, disappearing after the twins to ensure they didn't drop anything.

Harry glanced at Ron.

 _Should I help him down?_ he wondered, but then he remembered Hermione and the anger he felt at Ron's bold-faced lies resurfaced. _No, Molly will get him down soon enough_ _. Let's call it karma._

'Harry, how are you, lad?' Arthur asked as he walked up to his side.

'Great, thanks, Arthur.'

'Excellent, I'm glad to hear it. I wanted to ask you, I found this!' Arthur exclaimed triumphantly, as he pulled a Muggle kaleidoscope from his pocket and held it up to the sunlight. 'But I couldn't figure out what it was for. Do you know?'

Harry smiled at the item. 'It's called a ka-lei-d-o-scope, it has mirrors inside with coloured items.'

'Wow, and what does it do?'

'It creates colourful patterns.'

'Why?'

'For enjoyment. Kids have them and look at the colours and patterns produced.'

'Fascinating!' Arthur exclaimed, holding the object to his eye.

Harry shook his head at the man's clear fascination of all things Muggle. Arthur pulled it away from his face slightly, shook it, and held it back up.

'You can turn the end, Arthur, and it will change the pattern,' Harry advised.

The older man's hand came up and turned the end.

'Amazing! Are you sure that this doesn't use magic!?'

'Not that I am aware of,' Harry replied with an amused smile. With an inward grimace, he slyly swished his wand to collect a magical signature from the older man, feeling sullied by the action. He quickly left the man to his gasps of astonishment at the pretty patterns and making his way to the table to grab some food; before it all disappeared into the bottomless pits that were the stomachs all Weasley's seemed to inherit. Even the orange snake was already at the table, attempting to swallow a boneless chicken.

After the meal, Harry approached Molly, intent - now that he could retreat whenever necessary – on sorting out the mess that was the barring of Hermione from the Weasley lives. As he walked towards her, he paused for a moment: out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fred wrapping Ron around a hovering broom.

 _Hmm, should I? No, the twins seem intent on punishing Ron. I wonder if it is about Hermione. Either way, he probably deserves it and I don't want to become there new test subject._

He continued his trek towards the matriarch, scolding himself for his easy distraction, or was it avoidance?

'Err, Molly?' he asked, when he reached the energetic lady.

'Harry,' she replied with a kind smile and loving tone, 'what can I do for you, dear? Are you still hungry?'

'No, I am quite full, thank you, lunch was delicious. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.'

'Of course, what is it?'

'It's about Hermione.'

Molly's face darkened, red flushing her cheeks, a frown pulling her lips downward and a cross look etched over her eyes.

'As much as I love you, Harry, I will not allow you to speak that girl's name on this property.'

'But, Molly, I think we were wrong to cut her off the way we did. Her parents had just died and Ron cheated on her, we left her with no-one.'

'Harry. Stop talking about her this instant,' Molly snapped. 'My son is a good man! I thought you considered him a friend. I forbid you to mention that girl in my presence.'

'But why?' Harry asked with frustration.

 _Why wasn't Molly listening? This isn't like her at all! She was one of the most generous people I have ever met… Anti-Muggle-born. Could that be it? Everyone else whose soul was stolen is hugely anti-Muggle-born. But Molly welcomed Hermione all those years ago. So why is she acting this way now? That said, she has always been defensive of her family_ , Harry thought as he remembered the hexes she cast at Bellatrix in the Final Battle when the death eater tried to curse Ginny.

'Harry, mate, leave it,' a voice said in his ear as a hand pulled his arm away from Molly.

Harry turned to see George and Fred trying to encourage him away from the fuming matriarch who looked ready to burst.

As he followed them to the opposite side of the lawn, he watched Arthur calm his wife.

'Don't you think we have already tried, Harry? You're not the only one to care about her,' Fred chided.

'Mum won't change her mind. Just drop it before she has a heart attack or something, look how much it winds her up,' George added with a gesture towards the red-faced woman.

'But it's ridiculous!' Harry replied quietly with a scowl.

'Look, I get you feel guilty about how you treated her, and you think getting Mum to welcome her back will help relieve that guilt, but it's not going to happen,' George said in a rare serious tone. Fred nodded sternly beside his twin.

Ginny took that opportunity to join them, Terry by her side as he watched their daughter playing in the distance. 'What did you do to Mum, Harry?' Ginny asked with a frown.

'I was trying to get her to forgive Hermione.'

'Shhh,' she shushed vehemently. 'Don't say her name here: Mum has a spell that tracks it.'

'Really?' Harry asked dubiously.

Ginny pointed to the once again enraged women across the garden, Arthur once more making calming motions.

'Oh.'

'Harry, just take the opportunity to get to know her once more, and her husband, don't involve Mum: with the way Mum acts about her, it will just hurt her more in the long run,' Ginny advised.

'I suppose you're right, Gin,' Harry conceded.

'Of course I'm right, I always am,' Ginny laughed in reply, pushing his shoulder lightly.

'Don't I know it,' Terry interjected.

Ginny turned and gave Terry a kiss on the cheek in reply. 'It's not my fault you men are always wrong,' she added with a cheeky smile.

Four outraged voices claimed horror at her statement.

* * *

 **A/N: What did you think? As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! I'm sorry it has been so long! I am adding some scenes to my story (future posts) which will delay some posting until they are finely tuned, so sadly only one chapter today instead of the usual make-up for missed posts, but I thought you would want this asap instead. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **arabellagrace** [Yes, he is professional... even if bias]; **StBerryFan22** [Sorry, out of luck on the length. But I am writing a revenge chapter on the Deputy so you can see the play-by-play]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Oh, hopefully I still deserve the awesome praise given my recent absence! There is a pattern, but if that is it, I'm not telling :D ]; **ShamelesslessObsessed** [Haha, yes well testing of Weasley products may not always go to plan. ]; **LeonaMasha** [Thank you for the lovely review!]; **cares1970** [Maybe, maybe not.]; **Laurenmk20** [Hmm, yes perhaps, but we can't have Molly having a heart attack, that would be devastating - of course when they find out about the soul capture...]; **Chester99** [Yeah, the twins are brilliant fun to write! Healer Soundleaf, hmm, I'll be leaing that one to others to decide on reasoning.]; **CrazyPedantic** [I've added a bit more of Ron in this one, just for you!]; **patty cakes rock** [Yes, on the upside, Harry is absolved of not being able to have overheard any conversations about Hermione for the reasonable Weasleys]; **Annabeth Volturi** [Thanks!]; **Kermit 304** [Terry Goldstien is the father of Ginny's child. There is a plan. Maybe, maybe not.]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [You always pose brilliant thoughts and insights!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Monday morning had started off poorly when she arrived in the Emergency Ward to find it overflowing with patients with all kinds of problems.

Apparently Deputy Stevens had been scheduled for the weekend shift before he was fired, and no-one had been able to fill the space at the late notice. Hermione was rather unimpressed that Healer Soundleaf had not thought that scheduling a replacement might be necessary. Planning-wise (for someone who doubted Hermione's innocence), if Hermione was found innocent, Deputy Stevens would have likely been suspended, if she was found guilty, then Deputy Stevens should have been given time off after reliving a harrowing experience. Given that logic, not having a substitute was just poor management and seriously lack forethought.

While Hermione had diligently worked to efficiently heal and considerably lessen the number of waiting patients, she had also noticed she was receiving the cold shoulder from the nurses and a few fellow healers. No one ventured any comments, but she could feel the animosity like it tingled, it was akin to being in a room full of purebloods before the war had broken out.

After seeing a mass of patients, she took a quick break for lunch with Hannah. As she weaved to the café, the sceptical and judgemental looks increased. By the time she had been sitting at lunch for ten minutes, her patience was wearing thin, but Hermione continued to do her best to ignore the looks.

'Is your lunch okay?' Hannah asked.

'Hmm?'

'Your food, you have barely eaten anything,' Hannah prompted.

Hermione signed and put down her fork, giving up the pretence of eating.

 _I guess ignoring the looks wasn't working._

'I guess I had just forgotten what all the attention was like. In France, no one really knows me or Draco, here…' she looked around the room with tired eyes. Some people looked away, others just continued to watch and whisper.

'Ignore them,' Hannah advised.

Hermione smiled ruefully at the suggestion, recalling having said the same thing to Harry on many occasions during their school days.

'I suppose I'm just surprised it has taken so long to start receiving the looks, although, I'm not sure why I am receiving the judgemental glares. Surely my role in the war shouldn't have done that… perhaps they have finally clicked to who I married...'

'I don't think so,' Hannah offered sadly. 'I have heard a few things, although not much: people seem to know we are close so they haven't really mentioned anything detailed to me. From what I've heard, it is about Deputy Stevens and him being wrong fired because of you. Absolute rubbish, I'm sure, but the rumours are making the rounds.'

Hermione sighed.

 _Hades, I thought it would take longer, or that most people would at least follow the hospital boards lead._

'Thanks for telling me, Hannah. Do you know how people found out about the details? We were told not to speak of the matter until it was resolved.'

Hannah shook her head slowly. 'Sorry, no.'

Hannah eventually decided on one sure way to distract Hermione from the nosey hospital staff around them, even if it would only provide a short reprieve for the tired witch. 'I have some news.'

Hermione gave her full attention as she asked what news she had to impart.

'I'm pregnant.'

'Oh, Merlin! Congratulations!' Hermione said with genuine enthusiasm as she jumped up and hugged Hannah.

'Thank you.'

'When are you due?' Hermione asked as she released her friend and sat back in her chair.

'In six months, I will be going on maternity leave in five and a half months.'

'Were you trying?'

'Oh yes, for about eight months now.'

'I'm going to take this opportunity to demand an invitation to your baby shower,' Hermione replied.

'Of course, but won't you be in France then?'

'It is only a port key trip, nothing strenuous.'

Hannah smiled widely. 'You are a good friend.'

'Don't be silly, I'm excited to be involved.'

The two continued to discuss the babe throughout lunch, Hermione even managed to eat half her lunch in her distracted state.

When that topic eventually died down, Hannah offered a new one with some tentativeness. 'I also heard an interesting piece of news from one of the weekend shift girls: before they remembered that you and I are friends and they became suddenly busy far away from me. It seems that Ronald Weasley was brought in. Apparently, he had somehow swallowed a boneless chicken whole! Of course, his body couldn't handle a still-whole chicken in his digestive system and they had to remove it. Merlin knows how they did it... or how he managed it!'

A smirk stole across Hermione's face at the amusing image.

'Do you think the Weasley twins had something to do with it?' Hannah asked, knowing the twins used any foolish friend or family member as a test subject.

'Perhaps,' Hermione answered, eyes dancing with mirth.

The image of Ron trying to swallow an entire chicken still keeping her entertained, she said good bye to Hannah and headed back to the Emergency Ward. However, her stride was interrupted half-way there, when a small witch planted herself in front of her with a glare.

Hermione stumbled to a halt in an effort not to knock the tiny woman over.

'Why did you get Charles fired?'

'Charles?' Hermione asked, confused.

'Deputy Charles Stevens.'

 _Ah_.

'He was fired by the hospital board for making a serious accusation that he knew to be false.'

'It wasn't false!'

'I most certainly had nothing but professional interactions with Deputy Stevens: not that it is any of your business, but I am happily married and find Deputy Stevens quite repugnant.'

The tiny witch looked disconcerted for a moment. 'But—But you assaulted him,' her comment coming out as half question.

'I most certainly did not, and the board ruled that I did not.'

'Prove it.'

'I already proved it to the hospital board, surely you can accept their decision.'

The witch was silent. 'My brother wouldn't falsely accuse someone of something like that,' she whispered.

Hermione's eyes drifted to the witch's nametag. Nurse Stevens.

 _Oh, that explained the reaction_ _._

'I am sorry, I truly am. But I am not lying, Deputy Stevens lied.'

The woman's shoulders slumped, eyes pleading with her. 'Please, tell me the truth.'

Hermione's heart wrung for the tiny witch, she obviously loved her brother greatly.

'I am telling the truth. Can you not think of an instance when he has lied before?'

'Of course, but… Can you ask the board to revoke the decision, give him a warning instead?'

'He tried to destroy my career, reputation and marriage. He needs to be punished for what he did. People can't just say things like that and not expect any repercussions. Imagine what would have happened to my life, if his lies had been believed. What would you do if someone did such a thing to you?'

Nurse Stevens gulped, eyes cast down.

Hermione waited for the nurse to respond.

The little witch turned and walked away. Perplexed, Hermione watched.

 _I wonder what she is doing_.

The witch soon turned the corner at the end of the hall and disappeared.

Sighing, Hermione continued towards her ward to get back to work.

 _At least I now know why everyone is looking at me in that way, Nurse Stevens is certainly a loyal sister_ _._

* * *

 **A/N: I thought you might like to know that Ron made it back to human... eventually. Hopefully I can update again soon! As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness, it really makes me happy! This chapter is divided into the goings on for Harry, Hermione and Draco to give some insight into how the days are passing as they face their individual challenges. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **arabellagrace** [Yes, poor Hermione just has one nasty person after another!]; **StBerryFan22** [Thank you!]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [*happy dance* Yes, I do too. Molly - yup, she meet Hermione when she came to the hospital with Ginny - Ginny stunned her when she got in the way for healing the little girl]; **cares1970** [Thanks!]; **flame55** [Thanks!]; **Chester99** [Haha, yes, Nurse Stevens will show up again]; **CrazyPedantic** [Glad to hear it!]; **LanaLee1** [Thanks! Yes, I think it is so depressing, but hopefully little by little we can change that!]; **patty cakes rock** [umm... Yes?]; **Honoria Granger** [To be fair, he didn't have arms to break it up... but yes, a whole chicken XD]; **andherestograce** [haha, thank you!]; **dragonreader99** [Thank you very much!]; **pfanna** [Thanks!]; **Kermit 304** [poor thing has just had her world threatened... so its a possibility]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Yes, yes he did XD Can you seeing him missing out on his Mum's delicious cooking!? To be fair, he is a snake... no chewing abilities available - but I don't think planning ahead, outside chess, has ever been his strong point].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Two days later, Harry was hunched over his desk, scowling at the parchments in front of him.

He was supposed to be reviewing Amos Diggory's file - although he had quickly decided that the man was unlikely to be the creator of the box, he had to double check everything to ensure he wasn't letting his bias lead the investigation – but he was having trouble concentrating. His mind couldn't be focsed on the task at hand, his stomach churned and a light sheen of sweat layered his face.

 _It is my job, I had to do it. It is my job, I had to do it. It is my job, I had to do it. Merlin, how often do I have to repeat this to actually believe it?!_

He had collected Arthur and Diggory's magical signatures, giving them to Malfoy two days ago on Monday morning. He had managed to sneakily swipe Diggory's in the elevator just after arriving at work that day. Arthur's, he had, of course, managed to copy at the Weasley lunch on the weekend. Since that day he had barely slept.

Collecting Diggory's magical signature didn't bother him much, as Harry had never had a lot to do with the man: having rather diligently avoided Diggory after fourth year at Hogwarts and his involvement in Cedric's demise. But Arthur… that man had welcomed him into his family and looked after him, even though he scrambled to make enough to feed and house his family. It felt like a betrayal of the father-like figure to complete the task, despite the necessity.

He and Angelina had competed to avoid the task of collecting the signature in the form of a duel while they were training in the Auror exercise room. Usually, he was undefeated in these informal competitions. But, after he shot an extra strong spell at the witch, she had called out 'Oi, I'm pregnant, tone done the spell strength.' The shock had caused him to falter, horrified he hadn't known and that he had been casting such strong spells against his pregnant partner. Angelina had effectively used his disorientation to knock him out with a quick spell. When he woke, she had been sitting on the floor tears in her eyes and bent over shaking. He had jumped to his feet, urgently wishing to check what was wrong, if he had injured her or the baby with one of his spells he would never forgive himself. When he had gotten closer, he had realised she was crying and bent because she was actually laughing so hard. 'What's so funny' he had asked in furious confusion. He could still hear her stuttered reply as she gasped through chuckles that she couldn't believe he had fallen for her joke. Harry had long cursed the day that he was partnered with a girl dating a Weasley twin, but that day he had been particularly bitter.

Angelina had collected the magical signatures for Pennyfeather and Lestrange. The first she'd managed to gain after running a discrete tracking spell and 'accidently' bumping into the Pennyfeather in Diagon Alley. The latter had just required a quick trip to Azkaban, as Lestrange was incarcerated after the war in a less-than-cosy cell and would be there for many years to come.

Creak.

Harry jumped and his eyes darted to the door. The source of the unexpected sound.

 _Is that Arthur? Has he realised what I did?_

The door pushed open further and he saw the familiar mousy face of the lunch girl who delivered sandwiches each day.

'Hi, Mr Potter, here is your lunch roll,' she said with a shy smile.

'Thanks, Jade,' he replied, slowly taking a breath - that he hoped wasn't too obvious - as he struggled to slow his heartrate.

The girl quickly darted back out of the office. Harry returned to his paperwork, pushing the roll out of reach, hoping its distance would help settle his disgruntled gut.

 _It is my job, I had to do it. It is my job, I had to do it. It is my job, I had to do it. I wish this assignment was finished! It is my job, I had to…_

* * *

That following evening found Hermione was sitting on the sofa. Alone. She had missed Draco over the past couple of days. After having over a week on the night shift, Draco's absence at night was even worse.

 _You think I would be getting used to this, but I suppose what they say is true, absence really does make the heart grow fonder._

She cuddled a cushion closer to her body and snuggled down under the blanket, watching the moving figures on the television with a pout.

 _I really just want to vent about my day and I have no-one to listen! Or a hug, I need a hug! I miss Paris and my friends there. Life is better there. Although I have Hannah and Ginny here, they are busy, Harry is, of course, swamped by this assignment that Draco is helping with, and Draco is working double time to try and get his work done so we can go home with the problem solved._

Hermione sighed.

'What do you think?' she asked the television character. 'Can I vent about the irritating sheep I work with to you? Will you listen as I complain how the employees have just shrugged at the hospital boards warning that Deputy Stevens' job termination is an example of what happens when equality is ignored in the workplace and false accusations are made?'

Hermione snorted and shook her head.

 _What am I doing?! Talking to a television - I can't believe I have resorted to this. Where is Crookshanks when I need him? He would listen. Oh, right, border protection rules kept him in Paris with our friends._

She released an uncontrolled sob as she glanced at the clock. It was only an hour before midnight.

 _I guess Draco is going to be working all night again_ , she thought as she fingered the note he had sent late that afternoon. It said he would be home if he finished, otherwise he would probably pull another all-nighter propped up by Invigoration Draughts.

She knew her husband would have come straight home if he'd realised how overwhelmed she was feeling, but she didn't want to distract him from releasing those unfortunate peoples' souls. Those people needed help, and, given Draco's talents, he was best placed to quickly provide that help.

 _I don't think my emotions are under control anymore_ , she mused dejectedly.

She stood up, pulling the blanket around her. She managed to stumble her way to the bedroom, flopping dramatically onto the bed and piling up the pillows to make a Draco-substitute.

She was asleep within minutes, images fliting around her mind of her work colleagues giving her the cold shoulder or eyeing her with judgemental wariness, images that were disjointed with visions of her in full rooms yet entirely alone.

* * *

Draco yawned as he stood in the Department of Mysteries testing room. Angelina and Potter had managed to get the four magical signatures to him on Monday, but the testing was slow and arduous. Glancing at the clock, he sighed.

 _Two in the morning. For the third night in a row._

He pulled a vial of Invigoration Draught from his pocket and swallowed it in one gulp with a grimace.

 _Yuck, awful concoction. I know it is highly addictive, but surely there is a better way than bad taste to stop people taking it unless absolutely necessary.  
_

He glared at the offensive little box which contained far too many souls, but it lost his effect when he rubbed his bleary, itchy eyes.

 _Too long awake, I need sleep! But there is just a little bit more to do… I think…_

He waved his wand again, starting the new barrage of spells as he tested the magical signature of Pennyfeather against the box.

* * *

 **A/N: Awh, poor Harry, Hermione and Draco! Next chapter, Draco finishes his testing. As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness, it really makes me happy! Draco's testing results are below as promised :D Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **StBerryFan22** [Thanks for sharing, I do enjoy reading everyone's predictions! Results are below!]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Yes, babies are still a possibility :D]; **flame55** [Thanks!]; **Chester99** [Results ad Draco/Hermione goodness below - enjoy!]; **patty cakes rock** [Cuddles will return shortly!]; **Neurotic-Martyr** [Thank you! Results are below!]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Tired Draco will get his rest soon and never fear, his results will hold up... maybe XD].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

By the following day, Draco had managed to finally finish his urgent testing and was holding the results in his hand as he made his way to Potter's office in the early afternoon.

Nearing the door, he heard a shout, no doubt Potter's: 'Damn it, Angelina, it must be him!'

Draco slipped through the door into Harry's office, sliding onto a chair quietly, so he didn't interrupt the argument. He was curious to know what had the Golden Boy so wound up.

'Harry, there is nothing I can do. I've looked and looked and I am telling you that I don't think Lestrange created the box,' Angelina snapped, obviously short of patience.

'But he must have! Pennyfeather was quite possibly the worst at charms in the entire history of Hogwarts. He barely passed the bloody course, only got through on extra credit and because the head of Ravenclaw was the charms professor. And he has no reason to break the engagement between Molly and Lestrange or get Bellatrix to marry Lestrange instead! It's Lestrange, I know it!'

'Shout all you like, Harry, it won't change the facts, just my ability to hear.'

'Well, what about Diggory then?'

'What about him? You already put him in the unlikely category.'

'Oh, so now this is my fault is it?' Harry snarled.

'Harry, I don't know what has crawled up your ass, but you are being ridiculous. The research has led to a dead end, so we will just have to interview them all.'

'Brilliant,' Harry snapped back sarcastically. 'Can't wait for that.'

'I hate to interrupt this methodical and unbiased discussion,' Draco drawled, 'but I have the results on the four suspects' magical signatures.'

'About bloody time!' Harry snapped.

'Settle petal,' Draco scolded with a smirk at the scowling male Auror, but it was ruined by a yawn. 'You did, after all, only manage to get them to me on Monday.'

'And it's now Thursday,' Harry bit back.

'Yes, which is actually a very quick turnaround, given the complex spells I had to cast. Now, are you going to keep interrupting me, or can I tell you the results?'

Harry glared, but stayed silent, while Angelina looked on curiously.

'The tests ruled out two of the wizards,' Draco began delicately, knowing Harry was going to blow his top in a second. 'The other two wizards had very similar magical signatures and so the results showed fairly equal similarities to the signature on the Carterate Box – an exact match not possible given the thirty odd years since the spells were actually cast.'

Angelina and Harry nodded.

'The two wizards who were ruled out were Diggory and Pennyfeather. The two close matching wizards where Lestrange and Weasley, Lestrange's signature was a slightly higher match, but that is not really significant due to the result closeness.'

'You're sure about the results?' Harry questioned.

'One hundred percent,' Draco confirmed.

'I knew it was Lestrange!' Harry muttered vehemently.

Draco's eyes flicked to meet Angelina's, she rolled her eyes in response.

'Like I said,' Draco began, 'the magical signatures were a match for Rodolphus Lestrange and Arthur Weasley.'

'Yes, yes, but come on, Arthur Weasley. He is hardly anti-Muggle. I caught him playing with a kaleidoscope the other day!' Harry exclaimed with a roll of his eyes.

'I'm not going to tell you how to do your job, but the results are with Horthworth and he will be passing them to your department officially through Shacklebolt,' Draco replied. 'So you might want to question them both.'

'We will be,' Angelina said with a sigh.

'But Lestrange first.'

'Of course, Harry,' she replied. After a pause, she turned towards Draco and asked, 'Given the close match, is it possible for either wizard to do the unlocking spell on the Carterate Box?'

'No, definitely not. Only the wizard who made the box can do it. If someone else tries, the souls may be destroyed,' Draco answered firmly.

'Right, let's go see Lestrange. Ready, Angelina?' Harry asked.

'Sure,' she replied, standing and waving at Draco as Harry strode out the room with a determined look. 'See you later.'

'Good luck!' Draco called after her.

* * *

When Draco arrived home he flopped on the sofa. He made a half-hearted attempt to kick of his shoes, before giving up and letting his feet dangle over the side instead.

By the time Hermione arrived home ten minutes later he was snoring lightly. She sniggered at her husband, waving her wand to remove his shoes. With the lightened weight, his feet automatically retracted back onto the sofa, curling under a cushion. With a smile, she went upstairs to shower and change.

As she rinsed the shampoo from her hair, she contemplated her day.

When Nurse Stevens, the deputy's loyal sister, barricaded her path at nine o'clock in the morning, she could have sworn the day would be awful. But, the little witch quietly said that she had spoken to her brother, and after much nagging had gotten the truth from him: he had lied. The nurse apologised for her behaviour and promised to right the damage she had caused within the hospital, swearing to counter the initial misinformation she had spread. Hermione had been doubtful such action would actual work, but it had. While it was a work in progress, the attitude towards her from the other hospital staff had altered considerably over the course of the day and she was once more feeling part of the team rather than an intruder.

It was a great relief, as working in such an environment had been wearing her down considerably: she had been stressed, sleeping poorly and becoming increasingly irritable and impatient with everyone around her. Of course, it hadn't helped that Draco was working in the office, but from his slumped form on the sofa, Hermione figured he must have completed the urgent work.

She was soon bounding back down the stairs to say hello to her husband. Although as she neared, her smile fell. He was still snoring away in his slumber.

 _Drat, I was looking forward to unwinding in his arms_.

Deciding to wake him in a way that would be less suspicious, she headed into the kitchen and cast a silencing charm to ensure he wasn't woken by the noise, she then began to prepare a delicious smelling dinner. Opening the window to let a breeze travel through the room and into the lounge. _Just for fresh air_ , she justified with a mischievous smile, _it has nothing to do with getting the smell of dinner to wake Draco_. A new voice in her mind - which sounded suspiciously like her Professor McGonagall - lectured _never lie to yourself_ _._ Hermione paused to consider the new voice's message.

 _Fine, I'm opening the window to hopefully wake up my slumbering husband_ _,_ then she pushed the window open wider. _What was that saying about letting sleeping dragon lie again?_

Soon everything was almost ready and the aroma filled the kitchen. She heard shuffling and turned around to see her husband standing in the doorway, yawning.

When she removed the silencing charm, she asked, 'How was your day?'

'I finished the testing on the item I'm working on and had to tell Potter—'

'Harry.'

Draco made a dismissive motion with his hand. '—and Angelina. They are now down to two suspects and your friend is entirely focused on only one of the suspects.'

'Do you think he is wrong?'

'I didn't say that. I just think he is letting personal relationships get in the way of his job.'

'Harry could always be rather blind to things when he had a theory.'

'Like when I was marked and he followed me around the school constantly.'

'Yes, although you have to admit he was right.'

'He got lucky,' Draco replied as he stretched languidly, 'if he just goes with his gut he will get in trouble one day, be it from getting the wrong person convicted or with the lawyers trying to prosecute.'

'And why do you care?'

'I just want this case wrapped up and done, if he does his job by the book, it is more likely to be concluded quickly, hanging threads and all.'

'Two suspects isn't bad. Can you say who they are?'

Draco frowned and shook his head. 'Well, Potter's gut seems to have an uncanny knack for being correct… except in the situation with your departure, so I suppose it shouldn't be too much longer.'

'Should I be giving the hospital notice that I might be leaving soon?'

'No, best wait until the souls are freed. Besides they hardly deserve the warning.'

Hermione gave him a chastising look which he ignored.

'I'll let you know the minute the souls are freed, although they will probably contact the hospital anyway to ensure there are healers on stand-by in case there is a backlash from being released – being controlled for thirty odd years is likely to do that. But don't mention anything, you already know far more than you should.'

'Okay, give me a heads up if you can, so I can volunteer my services to help the victims. Dinner is almost ready, can you set the table?'

'I have a better idea,' Draco replied, as he sauntered towards her, pushing his body against her and pressing her into the counter. He cast a stasis charm on the food and lifted her onto the benchtop while kissing her passionately.

'You're incorrigible.'

'I love you too,' Draco mumbled against her lips, before making her moan.

* * *

Later that evening, Draco and Hermione were intertwined on the sofa watching a Monty Python movie, laughing loudly at the witty and rather ludicrous skit. Hermione smiled contently as she felt her husband's laugh reverberate her.

 _I missed this so much, I'm so glad we have our time together back again_.

As the movie wound to an end, Draco said, 'So, Deputy Stevens has a lesson coming his way.'

'Yes, my lawyer served him with papers on Monday - I can't believe I haven't had the chance to tell you that earlier. Anyway, we received a reply today saying he would agree to our terms: the monetary settlement to the equality organisation I chose and also to act as a volunteer doctor for another rights organisation for the remainder of the year.'

'So, now all that is left is to learn what women actually face before he volunteers in the rights organisation, to hopefully alter his perspective?' Draco concluded.

'Yes.'

'Hannah sent me his address…'

'She did!?' Hermione replied with surprise.

'Mm, I guess she figured I'd be more vindictive than you… does she know what you did to Skeeter?'

'Of course not,' Hermione chided.

'Thought not. Well, anything particular you would like to do to him?'

'Hmm, not sure. Do you have any ideas?'

'I thought we could give him an empathy heightening potion combined with your memories of the investigation.'

'You aren't suggesting turning him into a woman for a period of time?'

'No. I think this will help him understand what he did and why it was so wrong. As much as I want him to suffer for his abominable actions, I don't think turning him into a woman to experience inequality first hand is the way to do it – that would be cruel in any country of the world.'

Hermione smiled at Draco. 'Okay, I think that will work well. Do you want to help me find a potion?'

'Have you already forgotten about my Slytherin Book?'

'I never forget a book! Is the potion in there?'

'Yes, I'll go and grab it while you get the cauldron and potion ingredients.'

Hermione jumped up and skipped out of the room, glad for a chance to teach the sexist Deputy a lesson without subjecting him to abuse.

They quickly created the potion and joined the memories. Hermione prepared a small gift basket and placed the potion inside, labelling it with a message she was sure would work to convince Deputy Stevens to drink the potion.

Sending the gift basket off to the Deputy's address with their temporary owl, she felt herself relaxing as Draco wrapped his arms around her.

 _I love my husband so much, he has truly grown into an excellent man._

* * *

 **A/N:  
I know many wanted to see the evil Deputy suffer with much blood and pain, I did too, but when I thought about it a bit more, I realised it would be horribly cruel and very unlike Hermione (Skeeter was just stuck as her animagus and not physically or mentally hurt) and Draco (well, he has grown up to be a much better man and the ferret incident probably gave him more empathy in such transformations) to do such a thing.  
Ah, the results, well I never said answer XD  
As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness, it really makes me happy! Hmm, no pitchforks over the Deputy *breaths sigh of relief and lowers castle drawbridge again* Lestrange finally makes an appearance below when he is interviewed. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **StBerryFan22** [Thank you! I quite like this chapter, so hopefully it brings you much joy as well!]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Mwahahaha, thanks! XD]; **pfanna** [*shakes head and then grins manically* If you need some spellwork as revenge soon, Hermione has a nifty one she uses in my story Surprise...]; **arabellagrace** [More Harry fun below - does he learn to be otherwise?]; **Kermit304** [Interesting theories, mwahaha]; **flame55** [Thanks!]; **Chester99** [Yeah, he is rather close, but I needed a good reason to throw Draco in his path and force them to get along, so that must be overlooked :p The Lestrange interview is below]; **Honoria Granger** [Hmm, only Lestrange was betrothed to Molly, Bella, surprisingly, wasn't engaged to anyone. Karma's paw, hehehe]; **LanaLee1** [Thanks! Maybe, maybe not XD ]; **patty cakes rock** [Thanks!]; **btvs22** [Thanks! Haha, the creator is already set s cannot change, Arthur might be, or might not be XD]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [bahaha, that's a brilliant image!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Slap.

The sound clapped around the room. Harry ignored the tingling pain in his hand as it pressed against the metal table.

Angelina was watching him warily and Lestrange just continued to laugh.

'Stop laughing, Lestrange, or it will be your face instead of the table next time.'

'Haha, oh I highly doubt that the great Harry Potter would resort to assaulting an unarmed man being held in his custody. No, you won't touch me, hahaha...'

Harry looked at Angelina with helplessness. He could normally easily control an interrogation and get the information. But Lestrange was pushing all his buttons, unravelling his concentration. And his grating laugh was the final straw.

 _He is laughing that souls have been captured! That his own wife's soul has been captured!_

'Let's take a moment, Auror Potter,' Angelina said, motioning to the door. Harry nodded, and after checking Lestrange was still firmly bound, followed her outside.

The door closed heavily with a thud and Harry slumped against it.

'We aren't getting anywhere, Harry. I suggest a different approach.'

'I'm all ears,' he sighed with frustration.

'Leave him in there to chuckle his little black heart out, while we grab a bite to eat and you get your head in order. When we come back, we will start to discuss his wife.'

'He did this to her! He obviously doesn't care about Bellatrix!'

'Harry, we need to be impartial. I think it is Lestrange behind this just as much as you, but we must run this investigation correctly.'

Harry felt the anger flood out of him. Standing up he decisively nodded in agreement.

'Guard,' Harry called out. The two guards arrived. 'Can you please keep an eye on Lestrange while we are gone? We shouldn't be more than an hour. Also, he hasn't had lunch yet, so make sure he gets a sandwich and juice or something.'

The guards nodded and Harry followed Angelina out of the cell block.

By the time they returned, Lestrange had stopped chuckling and had eaten his fill. When the two Aurors entered the cell, they were met with his wide smiling mouth. Harry hid his revulsion as he took in the deranged face with blackened teeth.

Harry slid into his chair and placed a file on the table. Face carefully blank, he pulled out the first photo and lay it in front of Lestrange.

The man leaned forward and peered at the picture.

'Who's this?' Lestrange sneered.

'Donald Littleback, one of the victims who's soul was stolen,' Harry replied blandly.

'He looks like a tosser,' Lestrange commented.

Harry glanced at the photograph of the cleanly dressed man. 'He is now very anti-Muggle.'

'Then he has the right idea,' Lestrange shot back with a grin.

Harry's teeth ground together. He took a slow breath and pushed the picture to the side of the desk and then pulled out the next one, Lucus Dollstien.

 _Hopefully this one will get a bigger reaction._

Lestrange shrugged when he saw it.

'Why did you capture his soul?'

'I didn't, believe me, I would have been glad to do it, but I've never heard of a way to do that. However, if I knew how, I would have certainly made Albus Dumbledore my first stop.'

Harry held his breath. _Don't react, don't react, don't react_.

Harry outlined the victim's history, but as Lestrange didn't appear to be interested, he pushed the picture to lie next to the one of Donald Littleback, pulling out the one of George Green next.

They continued through the photos, Lestrange only making crude comments or showing indifference at the faces of John Trillor, Peter Graves, James Farweather, and Lois Pennyfeather.

When Harry flipped over the picture of Toby Cultine, he saw Lestrange's eyes light up.

'Something you would like to say?' Harry asked nonchalantly.

'Good bloke that one, brings excellence sense around the world,' the death eater replied.

'He is pushing anti-Muggle-born legislation subtly into other countries,' Harry replied blandly.

'Like I said, good bloke,' Lestrange grinned. Harry leaned back, the rotting smell from the man's mouth was foul.

Harry pushed the photo to the side, it was now time for Bellatrix's picture. He paused and watched Lestrange closely, the man appeared distracted, looking around the cell, uncaring of where he was.

Harry dropped Bellatrix's Hogwarts graduation photo into view. Lestrange smiled slightly, but then a frown quickly took over.

'Why are you showing me a picture of my wife?' he asked suspiciously.

'Her soul was captured about thirty years ago, coincidently, it was just before she started dating you. Suspicious, don't you think?'

Lestrange sneered. 'Bella might be a touch crazy, but she is in full control of herself. Show me a real victim.'

Harry pointed at the picture of the woman. 'I am. I wonder what it does to a powerful witch, to have her soul captured and being forced to marry you. To pretend to love you. Why else would she have chosen you, unless she was forced?'

'No,' Lestrange replied, looking at his wife's image with wide eyes. 'NO!'

Harry raised an eyebrow and looked at Angelina.

 _He is certainly good at acting surprised. Maybe he forgot he captured her soul: an extended stay in Azkaban cannot be good for the mind_ _…_

'Is something wrong, Lestrange?' Angelina asked.

'Who did this?' the restrained man snarled. His body was tense, as if ready to launch, despite his bindings.

'That is what we are here to discover. As Harry said, you were the one with the most to gain by her soul being captured,' she added.

'Bella was the one who came to me.'

'Well, when you hold someone's soul, you can make them do that,' Angelina replied.

'I didn't do this. You will tell me who did,' Lestrange demanded.

'Well, who else would have had the knowledge and ability? We have two suspects and you are the only one who practised the dark arts and is anti-Muggle.'

'There are many advantages to seeming not what you are, every Slytherin knows that,' Lestrange replied.

'You are talking to two Gryffindors, so you will have to excuse our disbelief in your innocence,' Angelina said.

'Wonderful,' Lestrange intoned sarcastically. 'How do you think Narcissa Malfoy escaped jail? It was because she was seen as the trophy wife: no power, no decisions, and no brain. Just sit there, shut up and be pretty. The woman defied the Dark Lord at exactly the right time to save her son and herself. She didn't save Lucius, she could have, but instead she punished him for not listening to her about keeping little Draco out of the war. The woman is severely underestimated and it saved her from jail. You think she suddenly grew a backbone? All Blacks are powerful and determined, especially the women. Andromeda married who she wished, Bella was the Dark Lord's top female death eater and Narcissa is sitting on a gold mine. Yes, false impressions are very important and highly useful. Now, who is the alternate suspect.'

'Sorry, Lestrange, that is classified information.'

The restrained man lurched forward and growled. Harry didn't flinch, confident the bindings would hold.

'Listen, Lestrange, I daresay your mind is a little muddled, perhaps you have forgotten, maybe you wanted to forget, but I am sure you captured these souls. If you are feeling even the slightest guilt, how about I take you to the box and you can release the souls. We even know the spell to free them,' Harry said with a gesture to the door.

Lestrange looked intrigued. 'If you know the spell, then why haven't you released the souls?'

'Because only the captor can do that. Now, are you going to come and release them or not?' Harry answered.

Lestrange slumped down again. 'I didn't steal these souls. But when I find out who did this to my wife, I will kill them,' he replied in a voice so cold that it made Harry shiver.

'Fine, we will finish up for now. When you come to your senses, let your guard know. You should free your wife,' Harry said as he stood and gathered the photos, leaving the one of Bellatrix in front of the still slumped man.

As Angelina and Harry walked down the corridor, Angelina asked, 'What do you think?'

'I think, despite being a psychotic maniac, that Lestrange wanted to think his wife loved him and he has pushed that little box out of his mind in an effort to forget she was forced to be with him.'

'She might not have been forced to be with him,' Angelina suggested.

'The timing is suspicious though: right after the approximate date of capture she began to date the man.'

'I suppose,' Angelina agreed. 'While he is stewing, we should interview Arthur, just to check off. Shall we set up a meeting for tomorrow?'

'Yeah, I'll check his diary to see when he is free and schedule a time with him.'

Angelina nodded and the two went back to their offices in silence, both thinking about the interrogation they had just held.

* * *

 **A/N: What did you think? As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness, it really makes me happy! And now it's time for Arthur's interview. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **StBerryFan22** [Thank you!... Arthur's interview first!]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** []; **cares 1970** [Thanks, hope this one also helps you have a good week!]; **Jordana Babe** [Thanks! Arthur is up next, enjoy!]; **DubheMalfoy** [Haha, well here is his interview.]; **arabellagrace** []; **Kermit304** [Haha, I fear I might have an unfair advantage in that I wrote the story XD]; **flame55** [Thanks!]; **Chester99** [*twiddles thumbs and looks at ceiling*]; **Charisma91** [Thank you! I'm stoked to hear that XD]; **LanaLee1** [Maybe, maybe not, let me know what you think!]; **patty cakes rock** [Thanks!]; **Doll482223** [And here it is!]; **reisa** [Haha, thanks! Arthur's interview is below, so no fluff for now]; **dixie326** [Hmm, then I'll be interested to know what you think of this chapter XD]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Awh, poor Harry, he is trying!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

When Harry and Angelina entered the Burrow the following afternoon, they discovered Arthur sitting on the lounge with three kaleidoscopes in front of him.

 _Dear Merlin, what is he doing with these. Still, I suppose they are better than his collection of wires in the shed. Okay, I can do this, just like any other preliminary interview with a suspect not confined._

'You seem to be getting quite the collection,' Harry commented to get Arthur's attention.

The older man jumped slightly, smiling widely when he saw Harry. 'Harry, what brings you here today?'

'Angelina and I just need to ask you some questions for a case we are working on, I hope you don't mind us coming here.'

'Not at all, Harry. Hello, Angelina.'

'Hi, Arthur,' Angelina replied.

'I'm not sure how much help I can be on Muggle objects here, most of my notes are in the office,' Arthur began. 'But as I have the week off to look after Molly, I'll do my best.'

'Oh, it's not about Muggle objects,' Harry replied awkwardly.

'No?' Arthur asked in surprise.

'No. Err, did you say Molly was unwell?' Harry asked, the bustling matriarch had seemed fine when she'd let them in the house.

'Nothing to worry about, she was—well to be honest, she was rather upset the other day at lunch about the discussion on, err, that girl: so I've taken the week off on personal leave to be nearby.'

Harry nodded, suddenly feeling slightly guilty about the effect his questions had on the woman who was in many ways like his own mother.

 _Or is the effect, her illness, because of the box? Is her dislike of Hermione, a Muggle-born, fitting into the general negative perspective of the other nine afterall? Maybe its not really all about Ron..._

Angelina cleared her throat. The two had decided that Harry would lead the conversation with Arthur and he was stalling.

'Please, sit down both of you and tell me how I can help,' Arthur said, gesturing to the worn chairs opposite him.

'Thanks,' Harry replied as he sat down. Angelina sitting on the edge of her seat next to him. Steeling himself into professionalism with the kindly, older man, Harry said, 'Angelina and I have been investigating an object which was discovered in a raid—'

'A Muggle object?' Arthur interrupted.

'No, a magical box. It was made with dark magic and the testing has recently been completed in the Department of Mysteries.'

'I notice you didn't say by the Department of Mysteries,' Arthur put in.

'No, the person who did the testing is actually on loan from France's equivalent department, he is their second-in-command of their department and is quite skilled,' Harry admitted.

'Who is this person?'

Harry shrugged. 'That's not really important. What is important is the results of the testing.'

'We discovered that this box was made about thirty years ago, you would have been at Hogwarts, and it was made by a Ravenclaw student in your year.'

Arthur stopped spinning his kaleidoscope and looked at Harry with a frown.

Harry continued, 'This dark arts box captured ten people's souls.'

'Like a dementor?' Arthur asked, rubbing his chin.

'Not quite. A dementor feeds of a soul which destroys it and leaves the body without purpose, this box captures it to control the soul and attached body.'

'Okay, so you want to know who in my Ravenclaw year might have done this dastardly act?'

Harry shifted in his chair, despite his resolve to be professional this was appallingly uncomfortable.

'Believe it or not, but Rodolphus Lestrange was in Ravenclaw with me, although I have no idea why he wasn't in Slytherin,' Arthur continued with a thoughtful tone as he leaned back in his chair.

Angelina cleared her throat again.

'Yes, we know he was in Ravenclaw,' Harry replied. 'We have the Hogwarts list.'

'That must have taken some time to sort through,' Arthur chuckled, 'I've seen what those lists look like.'

'A spell made it quite quick actually,' Harry replied. 'We were able to narrow the list down.'

'How did you figure out it as a Ravenclaw in my year who was the culprit?' Arthur asked, his eyes fixed on Harry.

'One of the people whose soul was captured told us,' Harry said.

'Really? Surely that could not be an accurate source of information, at least from a legal perspective,' the older man said, leaning forward slightly.

'I daresay it is not, but we used it to successfully narrow down the suspect list. Arthur, I'm going to show you some photos, can you tell me what you know about these people.'

'Of course, anything to help you, son.' Arthur said with a genial smile as he fiddled with the kaleidoscope once more.

 _Merlin! I can do this! Professional, I can be professional! I'm a bloody Auror, trained for this subterfuge investigations!_

Harry gulped and pulled out nine pictures, leaving Molly's hidden. As Arthur looked through them, he provided insights on all of them. He knew everyone in some form or other, they were, after all, either Ministry employees or death eaters: so it was hardly surprising given Arthur's background.

'Bellatrix!' Arthur exclaimed. 'Well, she married Rodolphus Lestrange, did he do this?'

'There is also one more soul that was captured,' Harry said when Arthur finished commenting.

'Mm? This is only nine people, I thought you mentioned ten. Who is the final soul?'

Harry held his breath as he gently placed the picture in front of Arthur.

Arthur looked at the photo, eyes flicking back to meet Harry's with a frozen perplexed look. The older man's faded blue eyes flicked back and forth a few more times before he laughed. 'Harry, Molly isn't under any curse? You have seen her yourself. She's just… Molly,' he replied in an agitated voice.

'It's true, Arthur. Molly had her soul captured thirty years ago, just before she started to date you.'

Blood bleached from Arthur's face.

 _Hmm, but why does he find this distressing? Because he is close to being found out, or because he is truly horrified?_

'Harry, you are saying my wife is not herself. I think I would have noticed in the last thirty odd years,' Arthur said coolly.

'I understand your shock, Arthur, but it's true. And you have to admit she does behave strangely at times, just think about the episode with Hermi—that girl.'

'But, all these other people are anti-Muggle or anti-Muggle-born, Molly certainly isn't,' Arthur reasoned.

 _Maybe, maybe not. She welcomed Hermione during school, except during fourth year... hmm._

'That's true, we think she may have had her soul captured for a different reason to the other nine,' Harry admitted.

'Why?' Arthur asked.

'Because she was engaged to Lestrange,' Harry replied vaguely.

'What are you saying, Harry?' Arthur asked, a tinge of anger in his voice.

'I am saying that the testing narrowed it down to two suspects. Rodolphus Lestrange—'

'I knew it!' Arthur snarled.

'—and you,' Harry finished.

'Wh—what?'

'Your magical signature also matches the box.'

'You can't be serious?! You think I would capture someone's soul, ten peoples' souls, including my wife's! Harry…' Arthur whispered in a hurt tone. 'How could you think so poorly of me?!'

Harry glanced down, guilt welling in him.

Angelina interrupted, 'Arthur, we have to follow procedures and talk to all suspects, no matter what we personally believe. Can we count on your compliance?'

'Of course, but, I am so disappointed in you both,' Arthur replied in a soft tone.

'Tea is ready,' Molly's voice boomed as she entered the room with cups on a tray and a smile on her lips. Arthur looked at her as if she was a ghost, about to disappear.

'Oh, Mollywobbles,' he whispered.

Harry and Angelina quickly excused themselves from the Burrow, leaving a still pale Arthur behind, staring with wide eyes at his oblivious wife.

* * *

 **A/N: Dun dun dun! So, Lestrange or Weasley? The answer will be coming soon, but I'm curious... and yes I can see how that might amuse some of you. As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness, it really makes me happy!

And the answer to who created the box lies below - thanks to everyone who let me know their thoughts!

Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **StBerryFan22** [Thank you!]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Bahaha, you've caught me out with my copy and pasting names on mass... I hold you responsible - your name is way too long :p Yes it makes up for it. Never fear, Bellatrix will make another appearance.]; **cares 1970** [An interesting question, sadly one I cannot answer at this stage, you will however find out why before the end]; **DisturbingVision** [I suppose that depends on the reason]; **Neurotic-Marytr** [Haha, there is mention of that in this chapter which will explain why. Thanks!]; **DubheMalfoy** [maybe, maybe not]; **Kermit304** [But it's Harry!]; **flame55** [Thanks]; **arabellagrace** [They were indeed]; **WinterPrincessofWonferland** [maybe, maybe not]; **Chester99** [The magical signature isn't an exact science, I'd say it is akin to blood typing or DNA testing: two people can match blood if they are both O negative, but they still have other differences such as immunities, I think of the magical signature like that]; **Ryaaaann** [Nah, I won't be changing the answer either way]; **pfanna** [Thanks!]; **niknik0201** [mwahaha]; **DragonReader99** [The culprit has been mentioned in the story - I'm not  that mean!]; **AllyRose4129** [Hmm, sounds like your trying to convince yourself :)]; **LanaLee1** [She has been holding it together well, or is she just in denial? Hmm...]; **Neleam** [Hmm, you may be right]; **BaekTara** [Yay! Found all the clues?]; [Thank you! All fixed]; **patty cakes rock** [mwahaha]; **APeiceOfPieEveryone011** [mwahaha]; **Honoria Granger** [No, Arthur and Lestrange were placed in Ravenclaw for this story, which is why they made it onto the suspect list after Bella's announcement. There have been a few hints on why it could have happened, the full confession will come later]; **Jalaynas** [Maybe, maybe not]; **fatyellowrat** [awh, but you're not telling me! Is this payback for my cliffhangers *pouts*]; **cat130** [Thanks]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Good question, it is answered below. They have to go by the book if they want a conviction at the end].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Warning: Swearing.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

When Harry and Angelia returned to Harry's office after managing to avoid a third helping of cake and tea from the Weasley matriarch, there was a note waiting in Harry's office.

 _Auror Potter,_

 _A meeting has been arranged for yourself and Auror Johnson with Head Auror Shacklebolt to take place at four pm today._

 _Kindly be waiting outside the Head Auror's office before the scheduled start time._

 _Kind regards,_

 _Jane (assistant to Head Auror Shacklebolt)_

Harry glanced at his wizarding watch.

 _3:54 pm._

'Damn. I was really hoping to have a confession before seeing Shacklebolt,' Harry sighed. 'What do you think the meeting is about?'

'I'd assume that Horthworth has now passed the testing information formally to Shacklebolt,' Angelina replied with a frown.

Harry nodded and put his files into order while Angelina darted back to her our office to collected the rest of the information.

The two were soon sitting in front of a tired looking Shacklebolt.

'Right, let's get straight to it. I received an official update from the Department of Mysteries today, I'm presuming Malfoy already provided you two with the magical signature results?'

The two Aurors nodded.

'Have you have interviewed them both yet?' Shacklebolt asked.

'Yes, sir,' Angelina confirmed. 'Both seemed surprised by the information. We believe that Mr Weasley is genuinely surprised, while Mr Lestrange probably pushed his actions from his mind during his time in Azkaban and so was also surprised. Until we have a court order to use Veritaserum, and find out if it is actually effective on them, it will be difficult to prove it.'

Shacklebolt frowned. 'How do the times of the soul captures align with the movements or arrests of the two suspects? Is there not sufficient proof in those?'

'Excuse me, sir?' Harry asked.

Shacklebolt turned his serious gaze directly on Harry. 'Mr Lestrange has been in jail for a large portion of the last thirty years, and Mr Weasley has occasionally travelled overseas for work. How do the soul captures fit with those timeframes?'

 _Sod it! How did we forget to check that?_ Harry thought to himself, unknowing mirroring Angelina's own thoughts.

'That is our next step, sir,' Harry replied, Angelina nodding quickly in agreement.

Shacklebolt raised an eyebrow, not mislead in the slightest about his Aurors' oversight.

'Quickly checkable,' Shacklebolt said as he pulled the file from Harry's hands and flipped a few pages to Draco's test results.

'John Trillor,' Shacklebolt said as he turned the file to Harry and Angelina.

The two Aurors leaned forward and checked the date.

 _Soul captured: thirteen years ago. Merlin help us!_

Harry felt ill in his stomach as the pieces started to fall into place in his mind.

 _Molly was the first step: breaking her engagement and marrying a man soon after dating._ _Molly's very prominent and powerful family breaking off contact._ _Bellatrix Black marrying Molly's ex, a man beneath herself, and becoming embroiled indisputably in the Dark Arts - unlike anyone else in her family, except one stupid cousin who changed his mind._ _Arthur's boss being soul captured - and we just brushed it aside as an anti-Muggle action!_ _Lestrange's words_ ' _False impressions are very important and highly useful'._ _Arthur always appearing the congenial man who everyone liked, while Molly was_ _always_ _the giver of bad news or punishments._ _Molly unwell after discussion on Hermione._

 _Merlin, is Arthur really the driving force behind Hermione, a Muggle-born, being evicted from the family? But why would she have been invited into the family in the first place? Is Molly ill because she was fighting against the soul capture?_

He recalled the interview with Arthur he had just left with disturbing accuracy: the man's nervousness and agitation, his vehement arguing that Lestrange had done this.

 _Fuck! It wasn't Lestrange who created the box and captured the souls, it was Arthur. Fuck, fuck, fuck! The man who treated me like a surrogate son. Damn it! Why? Why did Arthur do this?_

Harry's head began to spin and he clenched his hands tightly on the edge of the cool table.

Next to him, Harry could hear Angelina swearing violently enough to make a professional Quidditch player blush.

Shacklebolt was ignoring them, instead focused on the files, quickly checked the other names. No doubt, confirming their soul captures happened when Arthur was within proximity. They did. The older man's voice broke through Harry's thoughts: 'Draw up the warrant for Arthur Weasley's arrest and get it to me ASAP. I will sign it directly and inform the Minister. I want this resolved as quickly and as quietly as possible. Go in and get him. Round up the soul captured people; I'll arrange a safe place for them while you are bringing them in. Leave believable notes for family saying they are going away for the weekend. Don't tell anyone else: the Minister will be the one making the announcements to the press.'

* * *

The two Aurors left the office with purposeful strides, moving quickly and silently towards Harry's office.

As soon as the door shut, Harry shouted, 'FUCK!' and threw his little Calming Fern pot plant at the wall. The magical fern shrieked as it shot through the air.

Crash!

Angelina slumped into a chair, shaking her head in disbelief. 'Arthur, Arthur Weasley, I can hardly believe it. Why did he do it?!'

Harry flopped into the chair opposite. 'Remember what Lestrange said about the importance of appearances? I'd guess it was something to do with that. Everyone loves Arthur Weasley, although I've never heard of anyone else in the larger Weasley family being popular. Hades, he was even nominated to take over as Minister a few years ago. Maybe he enjoys being the guy everyone likes. Maybe he just likes having a lot of powerful friends. Maybe, oh I don't know… why indeed.'

'I guess we will find out the full story when we bring him in,' Angelina sighed. 'This is going to destroy the Weasley family.'

Harry looked back at her with sad eyes and sighed. 'What a bloody mess.'

 _I need to work. I can't process on this right now._

Abruptly, Harry stood up and moved over to his desk, digging through his draws and pulling out a form. He leaned over it and began completing it, his messy scrawl filling the page quickly.

Angelina watched curiously with a desolate expression. 'What am I going to tell Fred?'

'Nothing for now,' Harry answered, still scribbling. 'You heard Shacklebolt, not a word.'

'But afterwards, I'm about to arrest his dad…'

Harry winced. 'And save Molly.'

'But—'

Harry's quill paused, hovering above the parchment. He glanced at her, jaw clenched and face shining slightly. Angelina stared back with watery eyes.

'He will break up with me, Harry,' Angelina whispered.

'Fred loves you,' Harry replied with certainty. 'You can't control who commits a crime, but you can make sure ten victims are freed. Listen, we will go and get Arthur and Molly as soon as this form is officialised. Once we have Arthur arrested and his confession under Veritaserum, if it works on him, we will worry about the rest. If it helps, I'll do the actually arresting.'

'He's like your second father!'

'I know that!' Harry snapped.

 _Don't lose it now!_

In a forced calm, he continued, 'But Molly is like a mother to me and she is the victim. If it turns out, that - by some bloody miracle - Arthur didn't do it, then wonderful. Until then, Angelina, we need to keep doing our job.' Harry turned back to his form and continued filling it out with one more muttered 'fuck'.

As soon as the form was complete, a sweating Harry and a green-looking Angelina went back to Shacklebolt's office and gave him the form for an arrest warrant. Schaklebolt read it quickly and then signed the bottom of the document to make it official. He made two copies, one for Harry to take on the arrest and one for the Minister, before filing the original away safely.

'Alright, go get Arthur Weasley and the victims, I'll go see the Minister. Remember, keep this quiet.'

Harry and Angelina nodded and left headed to the elevators with their boss, Shacklebolt heading up to the Minister's floor, the two Aurors heading to the exit.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't you just hate it when you're caught out after forgetting something important - poor Harry and Angelina! I'll be updating with the arrest scene tomorrow. As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness, it really makes me happy! Congratulations to all those who guessed! The arrest scene is below. For those wondering where Draco is, he isn't an Auror, so is only involved with working on the box - he is probably still catching up on sleep on his sofa. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **Nyx-Arae** [Ekk, just realised I missed responding to you! Well you will find out in the interrogation soon! Yeah, it sucked a bit for Harry. Whose bed he rolled out of... hmm, I'll leave it to your imagination (excluding only Ron and Arthur)]; **StBerryFan22** [Thank you! Your answer is below - enjoy!]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Yeah, that will be a fun scene. Sleeping with handsome grace as the invigorating potions disappear from his system :p ]; **Beccax95** [Haha, the interrogation will be coming soon!]; **Neurotic-Marytr** [Thank you! Hopefully this one brings an intense climax as well!]; **Kermit304** [Haha, I guess you will probably find out in the interrogation]; **flame55** [Thanks]; **arabellagrace** [*taps finger to chin. Note to self - make the next one loud*]; **ShamelesslyObssessed** [Thank you! *eyes twinkle for the coming chapters*]; **Chester99** [Thank you! XD ]; **theperfectsomeone** [*happy dance*]; **pfanna** [Thank you! I'm glad you overlooked it XD]; **niknik0201** [Thank you! Enjoy!]; **Jordana Babe** [Thank you! Than makes me ever so pleased!]; **AllyRose4129** [Sorry, it needed a final edit - hopefully you find some wifi and catch this chapter!]; **cat130** [Thanks!]; **btvs22** [Thanks! It will be coming soon!]; **reisa** [Haha, never! err... but please don't have a heart attack!]; **Neleam** [Hermione makes an appearance in this chapter, Draco is sleeping off his invigoration potions]; **patty cake rocks** [Haha, good detecting!]; **fatyellowrat** [Great work!]; **Ilovejayterpeyter** [Thanks!]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Haha, yes, poor little plant, I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that!].

* * *

 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

When Harry and Angelina arrived at the door of the Burrow they took a fortifying breath, both loud and shaky as the air was released. Harry raised his hand slowly, pausing a moment before knocking on the door.

He heard bustling on the other side a moment before it swung open.

'Harry! Angelina! Did you two forget something? Can I get you some more tea and cake?' Molly asked with a smile.

'No, thanks,' Harry replied. 'Actually, we need to see Arthur again. Can we come in?'

'Of course, of course, he is just talking with the Ron about something,' Molly answered distractedly.

 _Sod it! Can't I get a single break today!_

Harry barely bit back a groan. He hadn't seen Ron since he had been turned into an orange snake at the last Weasley lunch, and he doubted Ron was happy that he hadn't even tried to reverse the twins' prank. Add to that, they were tasked with quietly removing Molly and Arthur: Ron was anything but quiet when confused or upset. Harry cast a look at Angelina and, after carefully moulding his face into pleasantness, replied, 'Fantastic, I haven't talked to Ron in ages.'

Molly beamed in reply and then directed them towards her husband, before turning back to the kitchen to prepare some food and drinks for her guests.

'What should we do?' Harry whispered urgently to his partner. 'Do you want me to take Ron away on the pretence of catching up and you arrest Arthur and take Molly in?'

'I can't take them both, nor can we legally make the arrest without a partner present,' Angelina pointed out with frustration.

'Okay, do you have any suggestions then?'

'How do you feel about stirring Ron into an argument so re rushes off in a huff?'

'He is more likely to attack me than run away in a huff,' Harry replied with a scowl.

'Wing it?' she offered with a shrug.

 _Sod it._

'Wing it,' he replied grimly.

The Aurors made their way into the lounge to join the two Weasley men who were laughing happily about something.

When they were sighted, Arthur stiffened as Ron said, 'Harry, Angelina, what are you too goofing off in the middle of the day for? Shouldn't you be hunting down criminals? Criminals like Malfoy?'

'You know Draco Malfoy is back?' Arthur asked his son with surprise.

'Yeah, his the tosser who got me suspended. The suspension investigation is still going!'

'Why didn't you tell me he was behind it sooner, I could have maybe talked to someone for you,' Arthur answered in surprise.

'I wasn't allowed to say anything,' Ron groused.

'And I'm pretty sure you still aren't,' Angelina added sternly.

Ron glared at her, but didn't add any more to his tale. 'So, what are you two doing here?'

'Arthur was helping us out with a case, we had a couple more questions we forgot to ask earlier,' Harry answered.

'What case?' Ron asked.

'You're suspended, Ron: we can't discuss the case in your presence. You know all ongoing cases are confidential,' Harry replied as he straightened his shoulders.

'But you can tell my dad?!'

'Since his particular knowledge is required - yes.'

'So, what, your kicking me out of the place I grew up?!'

'No, Ron, we can wait until you planned to leave.'

'I think I'll stay for dinner,' Ron replied.

 _Banging my head on the wall is not professional and might risk an injury, however tempting, I must not do so._

'Don't you have a date to get to in a few minutes?' Molly asked her son as she came in with a laden tray of tea and food.

'It's not important,' Ron answered with a glare at Harry and Angelina.

 _Merlin, it's not my fault I still work as an Auror and you don't, grow up Ron!_

'Ronald Weasley, you will not stand up the young Miss Longhorn. She is a lovely young lady who was brought up by a respectable wizarding family, unlike that girl. I insist that you go. Now,' Molly answered.

'She's an ex-Hufflepuff, I'll just send a note, I'm sure she will forgive me.'

Molly narrowed her eyes at her son, a light sweat breaking out on her skin. 'Ronald, you will treat her like the proper wizard your father and I raised you to be. Now don't argue with me or next lunch I'll ask Ginny to bring the dessert.'

 _Ginny's cooking! Yuck. Note to self, don't eat dessert next lunch… if there is a lunch after this mess is sorted._

Ron's eyes widened and he grumbled under breath, but stood up. 'Fine, see you later, Mum, Dad. I'll be back for dinner.'

'Okay, sweetie, see you later.'

 _Back for dinner?! One break, that's all I asked for! Merlin, is that so bloody hard!_

Harry heard Angelina sigh quietly next to him. When he heard the pop of Ron's apparation, Harry turned to Mr Weasley.

'Mr Arthur Weasley, the evidence has proven you to be the creator of the Cartarate Box.'

Arthur stood up abruptly. 'Harry!'

This,' Harry continued as he pulled out the copy of the warrant and handed it to the father-like figure, 'is a warrant for your arrest.'

'Harry, what is going on?' Molly asked in a bewildered tone from behind him.

'Whatever you say may be used as evidence. You will be tested for effectiveness against Veritaserum, if found susceptible, you will be given the potion and will answer questions put to you. After that point, you may call a lawyer.'

'Harry, don't do this!' Arthur implored. 'Our close relationship won't survive you arresting me. I didn't do this, but if you must arrest me to prove that, send someone else.'

'No one else will be sent. Will you be coming peacefully, or do I have to restrain you?' Harry added in a calm tone, despite his shaking hands.

Arthur shook his head. 'Very well, I will come peacefully.'

'Arthur, what is going on? What is the Cartarate Box thing?'

'Just a misunderstanding, Mollywobbles, I'll be back soon.'

Molly nodded, looking confused. She turned to Harry and engulfed him in a hug, blocking his sight in her untamed hair. 'Don't worry, Harry, I forgive you for this mistake, I'm sure you are just doing your job. Get Arthur home in time for dinner if you can—'

Crunch.

'Harry!' Angelina shouted in a high pitch voice.

Harry pushing out of Molly's arms and saw a worn cloak darting around the doorway. Angelina was on the floor, in the body of a four year old, chubby finger pointing towards the doorway.

 _No!_

Harry immediately pulled out his wand and ran after the fleeing man. He saw the kitchen door swinging and rushed out it. Arthur was in the distance, racing to the shed.

Harry aimed his wand and sent a stunning charm.

It missed.

 _Too far._

He sprinted forward, trying to close the gap.

Arthur made it to the shed and blasted open the door.

So focused on Arthur, Harry's foot went down a gnome hole, twisting with a sickening snap as he fell forward with the grace of a newborn gazelle.

Harry spat out the dirt and grass that had been forced into his mouth when he hit the ground. He craned his head up to look towards the shed. Arthur was back out with a broom, rising into the air.

Scrambling up on one leg, Harry took careful aim.

'DESCENDO!'

The broom jolted and was forced to the ground.

Harry hobbled forward, grimace on his dirty, grass-stained face. Arthur, disorientated by the unexpected decent, rummaged for his wand with one hand still clinging to the dropping broom.

'Stupefy,' Harry muttered.

A metre from the ground, Arthur slumped off the flying stick and landed heavily on the ground.

 _Incarcerous._

Ropes wrapped around the unconscious man and Harry's wand finally lowered to his ankle.

 _Lenio._

His leg numbed slightly as Molly appeared outside with the child-Angelina in her arms. 'Harry, are you and Arthur okay?'

Harry winced as he turned around. 'Oh dear, you've hurt yourself!'

'I'll be fine, Molly. Would you mind coming with us to the Ministry? I can't take Arthur and Angelina at the same time.'

 _Terribly lame excuse!_

'I don't know what Arthur was thinking! Sometimes he just has this urge to check on his Muggle items, really it is quite silly, of all the times to check on them. I'm sure if he had just said what he wanted, you would have let him. I don't know why he hexed Angelina, although she makes a lovely child. Will you be giving me granddaughters soon, Angelina? You and Fred would make lovely children! And you are hardly getting any younger.'

Harry eyed Molly with mild alarm.

 _She's completely lost the plot!_

'Alright, let's get to the Ministry then, shall we?' Harry suggested, as Angelina was looking horrified in the older woman's arms.

Harry cast a quick feature-altering charm on Arthur, so that he wouldn't be recognised, and lead the way.

He dropped Arthur off in an interrogation cell and placed Molly in the waiting area, giving her a drink laced with a dreamless sleep potion. The older witch lay on the sofa and went promptly to sleep.

He hobbled his way to Shacklebolt's office and updated him, promising to collect the other victims once he and Angelina were healed and re-aged.

Shacklebolt advised that the off-site holding area was almost ready and advised Harry to collect the people one at a time and bring them to the office, so they could be transferred to the holding area by other Aurors.

* * *

Harry flooed into St Mungo's with Angelina in his arms, she being too small in size to floo on her own.

Checking them both in, they moved to the Emergency Ward where, as Aurors, they were put to the front of the line.

'Harry?' came Hermione's voice as he hobbled towards a seat.

'Hi, Hermione,' Harry answered.

 _Thank Merlin it is Hermione, I hate been fawned over in this place._

'What happened to you? You look like you had a fight with a gnome.'

 _On second thoughts…_

'An appropriate observation actually,' he replied grumpily.

'You were actually fighting with a gnome?!' Hermione replied in an incredulous tone as she summoned his file.

'No, but I did put my foot down a gnome hole while chasing a suspect.'

Hermione's lips twisted into a smirk.

'Stop looking at me like your husband does! I've hurt my ankle rather badly.'

Hermione supressed her chuckle, but her twinkling eyes gave it away. 'Okay, hop up on the bed. Who's the little girl?'

'Angelina?'

'Hello, Angelina, you have a very pretty name, sweetheart,' Hermione said.

Harry snorted.

Hermione stopped preparing the items for Harry and looked at him in confusion, then looked closely at the girl.

'Hi, Hermione,' came a high-pitched and clearly unamused girl's voice.

'Angelina Johnston?!'

'Yes,' the little girl replied stonily.

'Oh dear. Do you know what spell or potion was used to de-age you?' Hermione asked.

'Yes.'

'Okay, well you look uninjured, so I'll fix Harry up first.'

The summoned file appeared in Hermione's hand and she began to flip through it.

'Okay, plenty of previous injuries, however none to this ankle. Harry, any known allergies or previous diagnose conditions to your ankle?'

'No.'

'Excellent - this will be quick and painless for us both.'

Once Harry was fixed up, Hermione handed him a form to complete and then turned to his young partner, asking her questions.

Harry filed out the documents on auto-pilot.

 _I'm here way too often_ , he mused when he realised that he hadn't actually read the last three questions before answering them.

When he next looked up, an adult Angelina was in front of him, a surly expression on her face.

'Not a word to anyone,' Angelina hissed at Harry when she finished filling out her own forms.

'Then you had better not nominate me again this year for most embarrassing Auror moment,' Harry replied.

'Oh, come on, that was funny! Being turning into a four year old while on an arrest is just plain embarrassing. I'll never be promoted again!'

Harry frowned, recalling exactly who had fired the spell. Angelina quickly caught on as well.

'Okay, paperwork is all done, so you two are free to go,' Hermione said with a smile.

'Great, thanks, Hermione. I'll see you again soon,' Harry said with a fake smile.

Hermione's eyes narrowed at Harry and she opened her mouth, a familiar determined look on her face, before she promptly closed it again. 'Sounds good. Good luck!'

The two Aurors waved goodbye and left the hospital. They had victims to locate and bring in.

* * *

 **A/N: What did you think? As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness, it really makes me happy and are all truly inspiring and encouraging me!... also keeping me on my toes to ensure I am doing my absolute best and haven't overlooked scenes and thoughts! An extra long chapter this time, as there is a lot to sort out in this scene. Just a note, the name of Ron's date has been changed to Miss Longhorn. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **LanaLee1** [Haha, yes I should really work on my ability to maintain suspense - I just can't handle it and have to do something to break the tension! Yes, well, Shacklebolt has years of experience on them and it has been a rough ride - who would expect when they received a dark arts box to investigate that it would lead to arresting Arthur - well apart from my brilliant readers!]; **Grivek26** [Thanks!]; **Doll482223** [Ekk, thanks for that pick up! Jumping between stories when I write means I sometime forget a few points. The date is now with Miss Longhorn - a new character.]; **StBerryFan22** [Oh no, sorry about the confusion - the investigation is the one into Ron's actions - he can't investigate at the moment as the restraining order is in place and he is suspended]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Thank you! Yes, when Harry started his determined running in the gnome-infested garden, I just couldn't help myself! Poor Molly has been having a rough time with the increased soul capture fighting!]; **Bswifty1997** [Thanks!]; **Kermit304** [Just your regular medical form I am sad to say - nothing particular about the cause, just facts, eg fall while running. Thanks! I couldn't have Angelina actually injured, but she had to be stopped.]; **flame55** [Thanks!]; **arabellagrace** [Yeah, poor Weasleys!]; **ShamelesslyObssessed** [Ah, but the French allow Hermione to know what Draco is up to as his spouse (good French Ministry - secrets can destroy relationships) - of course, Hermioen has grown up a fair bit, so maybe she can handle some mystery... then again... XD]; **Chester99** [Haha, your answers lie below]; **pfanna** [Sooorrryyy! But she is having a trying time and being controlled!]; **niknik0201** [Haha, no the poor boy can't. I figure he used up all his luck with Voldemort dodging during his schooling, the barrel is rather empty these days.]; **DisturbingVision** [Indeed!]; **giants123** [Thank you! That is wonderful to hear!]; **cat130** [Thanks!]; **pianomouse** [Thank you!]; **thatperfectsomeone** [Haha, I did toss up if he should or not, but then he was standing there, Angelina and Harry waiting to take him in, Molly oblivious... it seemed the best way to go with what was running through Arthur's mind at the time]; **dramione101** [He was close! To bad he had the Boy-Who-Lived chasing him! The confession is up next... hmm, you'll find out!]; **reisa** [You most definitely are! Hmm, author-san I like that XD Hopefully the interrogatin will reveal the truth and we have a nice quiet chapter to recover from the heart-pumping action and suspense!]; **Tabitha** [Thank you!]; **patty cake rocks** [Mwahaha, enjoy the next chapter - you will see if Harry's day improves]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Haha, pity it is water-resistant paint to remove from your hair! Good luck!].

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 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

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It took Angelina and Harry until the following afternoon to collect and transfer all the victims to the holding area. Angelina had, thankfully, recalled that they still needed to leave a note at the Weasley's and had darted back before Ron reappeared from his date.

Some victims had been easy to collect: a quick inter-Ministry message summoning them to the Auror office. Others, however, required international portkeys and transfers – a messy and form-filled headache both Aurors would have been happy to avoid.

The notes to family members were still holding up, no-one having yet reported a missing person or suspicious activity. Harry just hoped that their luck would hold: although, given his recent bout of bad luck, he had his doubts.

Harry and Angelina sipped their steaming teas as they watched Arthur through the two-way glass of the interrogation room window.

'I'm so tired that I'm still not entirely sure if I am just hallucinating this whole debacle,' Angelina admitted.

Harry leaned over and pinched her arm.

'Ouch! You berk! What did you do that for?'

'Just helping you differentiate life from hallucination. It hurt, so now you know.'

'It is in dreams that a pinch doesn't hurt,' Angelina corrected with a scowl while rubbing her arm.

'Really?! Huh. Ah well, it improved my day.'

Whack.

'Hey! Why did you hit my head, you divvy?' Harry yelped in surprise.

'I wanted to see if my day could also improve.'

Harry sent her a glowering look in reply.

 _Damn, Angelina should have been a bloody beater with an arm like that._

Angelina smiled smugly and then turned back to face Arthur. 'Just in case you are wondering, it did improve my day,' she added.

Before Harry was able to respond, the door swung open and Shacklebolt joined them both.

'Good work in collecting the victims, you two. They're all safely slumbering in the holding area. Now, Arthur Weasley, you haven't talked to him yet, have you?'

'No, sir,' Angelina replied. 'We were waiting for you, as requested.'

'Good. I'll be leading this interview. Angelina, would you mind staying in this observation room to make sure everything records properly: we can't have any mishaps and you do look more alert than Harry right now.'

'Of course, sir.'

'Harry, you'll be joining me… if you stop rubbing your head like you are about to fall asleep.'

Harry promptly pulled his hand from his aching head.

'I'm fine, sir,' Harry replied.

'Excellent. I'll take the lead, you jump in unless I give you the signal not to,' Shacklebolt added.

Harry and Shacklebolt left the room, leaving Angelina in a mad scramble to start the recording before the entered the room.

Harry blinked at the harsher lighting of the interrogation room as he stepped through the doorway. Its stark, cold light was in direct contrast to the warm temperature.

'Mr Weasley,' Shacklebolt began. 'I have with me the results of the Veritaserum susceptibility testing we completed on you when you arrived. It seems that you are susceptible to the potion, as such, we will not bother beating around the bush and asking questions that you can lie to.'

Harry say Arthur's jaw clench, but otherwise, the older man did not appear shaken.

The Head Auror withdrew a small vial of clear liquid and held it to the light.

'Open your mouth, Mr Weasley.'

Arthur's lips pursed together and he leaned back in his chair.

 _Oh please don't fight this!_

'You have three seconds to open your mouth, Mr Weasley, or I will be asking Auror Potter to use a spell to do the task for you.'

 _Poxy._

Arthur's eyes narrowed and his mouth stayed firmly closed.

'One.'

 _Come on, Arthur, don't make me do this to you!_

'Two.'

 _Open your mouth._

'Three.'

 _Please!_

'Very well. Let the record show that Mr Weasley has refused to submit voluntarily to the Veritaserum which we are permitted to use for dark magic arrests. Auror Potter, please cast the spell.'

Harry lifted his wand and pointed it at Arthur, hoping the threat would be enough to make the father-like figure open his mouth. No luck. Sucking in a deep breath until his lungs were near bursting, Harry waited another moment.

Arthur stared back defiantly, chin raising ever so slightly.

With a flick of his wand, Arthur's jaw hung loosely.

The grey-flecked redhead tried to bring his bound hands up to manually close his mouth. But he wasn't fast enough, Shacklebolt having already administered the three drops of potion into the hanging jaw.

'Thank you, Auror Potter. Please perform the counter spell.'

Harry swished his hand and a yellow jet of light shot out. Arthur's jaw snapped closed with a sneer now spread over it.

Shacklebolt started to run through the test questions: 'Mr Weasley, what is your middle name?'

'Septimus,' Arthur replied without feeling.

'What class did you score highest in during Hogwarts?'

'Muggle studies.'

'Did you enchant a Muggle car?'

'Yes.'

'Okay, I think we are ready to ask the questions relating to this case. Mr Weasley, did you create a box to capture wizarding souls,' the Head Auror continued.

'Yes.'

'Whose souls did you capture?'

'Donald Littleback, James Farweather, Lucus Dollstien, George Green, Toby Cultine, John Trillor, Peter Graves, Bellatrix Black, Molly Prewett, and Lois Pennyfeather.'

 _At least there are no others who have died off._

'Why did you capture Donald Littleback?'

'Donald was trying to decide on a career path when met him. I helped him out by sending him along the way of writing. He's now a successful writer who has many published books.'

 _And a reputation as spouting anti-Muggle dogma through his literature._

'Why did you capture James Farweather?'

'I wanted to work in the Muggle Relations area of the Ministry to help ensure people would never link me to any anti-Muggle sentiments. Capturing James gave me an easy in to the Department, given he was the Assistant Head of the Department. He was well-respected, which meant he could push forward anti-Muggle or anti-Muggle-born legislation without question. I could work on whatever I wished and it allowed me to closely watch what he was doing and strengthen the protective wall between the magical world and the Muggle world. James has done remarkable things that no other could accomplish.'

 _The ambitious man has been stuck in the same job for years, it's a miracle he hasn't gone stir-crazy and no one clued onto her turn-about in policy._

'Why did you capture Lucus Dollstien?'

'He worked in Gringotts and was able to make it harder to transfer money between the Muggle and magical worlds. He also managed to add leniency to my loans. I haven't changed his life much, but I suppose I have given him more drive towards those goals, he must be happy he has helped improve the world so much.'

 _I'm surprised the goblins allowed such limitation to their services, surely it means less money flow…_

'Why did you capture George Green?'

'People who work in pubs hear all sorts of things. I was able to use him to find anti-Muggle sympathisers and have them pointed in the direction of other like-minded individuals. He gets to talk with people all day, he was rather extraverted, so I thought he would like that, a good life for him.'

 _Yes, clearing tables, handling drunks, and cleaning vomit from bathrooms is just what everyone enjoys; especially those who dedicated themselves to magical creature learnings._

'Sympathisers like you?' Harry interrupted as he fought not to roll his eyes at Arthur's thoughtless reasons.

'Oh no, I kept my distance.'

'Why did you capture Toby Cultine?' Shacklebolt continued.

'I needed someone in the Department of International Relations to ensure the protective wall against Muggles and their culture was spread around the world. As another well-respected wizard, whatever he said was supported: the pro-Muggle people because they trusted him and the pro-pureblood because they actually watched what he was doing. He has successfully strengthened anti-Muggle legislation in almost every powerful country and is now heading to finish his time in the Legal Department: where he can contribute greatly to the protective wall. Smart bloke, getting a bit slow in his old age though, but the mark he will leave on this world means he will be remembered forever.'

 _But will it be for something he would wish to be remembered for?_

'Why did you capture John Trillor?'

'Thirteen years ago I finally managed to add an Unspeakable to my collection. The research he does into anti-Muggle topics is fascinating. Although, I am seriously displeased he did not inform me that my box was being examined. He said he wasn't in the loop, that it had been given to an outsider who didn't interact much with the rest of the department.'

 _What do you know, Malfoy was actually a blessing in disguise… a very good disguise, but a blessing none-the-less. Sod it – now even my thoughts are defending the blond._

Arthur continued, 'He is the leader in his research field, he is on his way to an Order of Merlin, isn't it wonderful.'

'Why did you capture Peter Graves?'

'He caught me out, I needed to control him after that. He's proved relatively useful, he visits various countries and starts Muggle versus magic disputes to ensure the tension is maintained. He always liked debating, I gave him that in spades.'

 _You came him conflict, not debating._

'Why did you capture Lois Pennyfeather?'

'She was a private business CEO who travelled the world. A powerful and persuasive lady, excellent for swaying others to the anti-Muggle culture grouping. Through my command, she had a greater desire to travel and attend parties – I knew she would like that.'

 _When we found her, she was in Russia crying over an appointment book that was full from breakfast till supper – every day was the same, poor woman has been going non-stop for years!_

'Why did you capture Bellatrix Black?'

'Bellatrix was a powerful witch from a good family. She was actually in my Muggle Studies class: although, she actually seemed interested in learning about their benefit to our society, rather than identify the problems and carve them out of our world. I wanted Molly and needed Lestrange distracted so that he didn't demand Molly's return, which he could through the magical betrothal contract. Bellatrix was a powerful, popular leader – exactly the type of person Lestrange would latch on to if given the chance. It was hilarious when she turned her attention to him after I ordered it, like he couldn't believe his luck. To have a Black interested in a lowly Lestrange. I gave her a good life: he basically bowed at her feet and treated her like crystal. I realised I could also use her for the protective wall, the spearhead of my campaign to right the world. I charged her with becoming a Death Eater, and she did so brilliantly.'

 _He really believe he improved her life! She's spent decades in Azkaban!_

'Why did you capture Molly Prewett?'

'Ah, Molly. She was so pretty. So clever. And so powerful. Good family stock. I tried to get her attention in other ways: but, being the good pureblood daughter that she was, she had eyes for only her fiancé. He was an evil git – dark and hungry for power. Always jumped before he looked. I saved her from that life. She might have been injured playing for the Holyhead Harpies, but I protected her from that. She might have been embroiled with the blood-lusting Voldemort, but I saved her. She was supposed to bring me into a powerful, well-connect family in return – but they cut her off when she broke her betrothal. Imbecilic family. She was supposed to come with a massive amount of money too: I could have had respect from all the purebloods thanks to that money - add that to the Halfbloods and Muggle-borns who would support me for my views - but no, her parents cut us both off. Still, she has given me a large family, been a perfect hostess, and added credibility to my image. Pity that she keeps fighting the soul capture.'

'How do you know she is fighting the soul capture?'

'Because she is sick when she does – she becomes weak in magic and physical ability.'

'If you are anti-Muggle-born and Halfblood, why did you welcome Hermione and I in to your family?'

'Because you are Harry Potter. Such a connection could not go to waste, I needed you entwined in the family.'

Harry felt mildly nauseous.

'So, that is why Molly is so welcoming?'

'Of course, why else would she be?'

Harry gulped down the bile that rose up his throat. 'And Hermione, why her?'

'She added credibility to my image: having a Muggle-born half living in my home and all. Later, I realised she was smart and very powerful: I knew when she finished school that she would be useful and I could add her to the collection. But Ronald stupidly cheated on her – I can understand why, but I wish he'd waited. Anyway, the Weasley family sticks together, so she had to go.'

 _He was planning to capture Hermione's soul too!_

'Did you plan to capture my soul as well?' Harry probed, trying to hide his fury at the thought of Hermione unable to control her life.

'No. You are watched too closely, people would have noticed if someone was controlling you.'

Harry bit back his snarl at this additional slight to Hermione.

'What is your belief about Muggles, why do you wish to create this "protective wall"?' Shacklebolt broke in.

'Muggles are animals. They exist in our world, like dogs or ants. However similar they may look to us, they are inferior: their lack of magic limits them. As long as they stay out of our way, I do not particularly care about them. However Muggle-borns and Halfbloods insist on bringing their unrefined culture into our world. It is the job of the purebloods, like me, to ensure the barrier remains. I research Muggle things to maintain my image and to identify when the lowly items start to pervade our Wizarding culture.'

Harry paused to consider Arthur's words.

 _He is right - in a way. Muggle-borns and Halfbloods do bring their culture with them. But, he is wrong when he says it is unrefined. Muggle life can improve the Wizarding world if the best parts are brought in – obviously not the wars, domination, ignorance, or fear – but some inventions are brilliant! One just had to look for the benefits. Rather than a blanket 'no', intertwine what worked: like the train to transport large numbers of students, the Knight bus to move people, and the elevators to avoid the one thousand, eight hundred and fifty seven stairs in the Ministry of Magic building._

Shacklebolt was now leaning back in his chair, observing Arthur with a serious expression. Harry caught his eye and raised his brow. Shacklebolt gave a nod of his head.

'Mr Weasley,' Harry began. 'Will you release the souls from the box?'

'Why would I? Their lives are better being controlled by me – I have shown them true happiness and a proper purpose.'

'If that is the case, surely with their full magical ability, they can better serve your purpose.'

Arthur looked like he was considering the option. 'No, I refuse to release them.'

'Why?' Harry asked, folding his hands on the table and looking at Arthur with an innocently confused expression, an expression that he'd used to full effect on many suspects in the past.

'Molly is fighting it: I won't lose my wife.'

'Does she always fight the soul capture?'

'No, only every once in a while – although it has been on the increase recently.'

'You love Molly, don't you?' Harry replied persuasively.

'Of course, how could you doubt it after everything I have done for her?'

'She will die if we are forced to dismantle the box containing the souls by ourselves.'

'If you try, they will all die.'

'They will, but we will not allow their souls to be held for any longer. You can save her.'

'I already have.'

'You need to do this one last things for Molly, to prove you really love her.'

'I do love her.'

'Then prove it, release the souls. Save her life, before we destroy it in our own attempts.'

'Fine. I will release the souls. For Molly.'

'You promise not to allow any harm to come to any of them.'

'Yes, yes; their fates are all linked. If one is injured or stays in the box, so must they all.'

Shacklebolt nodded to Harry and pulled out the antidote to the Veritaserum.

'I just have one more question,' Harry quickly stated. 'Who's idea was it to create the box?'

'Mine.'

'Where did you get the idea?'

'I broke into Professor Slughorn's rooms at Hogwarts one night to get a concentration potion to study for an exam. I overheard him muttering in his sleep about the possibility to capture souls to control them. I asked him about it the next day, but he feigned no knowledge of the subject. I think the discussion made him nervous: I'm not surprised now that I know about his discussions with Voldemort on Horcruxes. I obliviated him when he refused to answer the question, but he never really liked me much afterwards – not that I was good enough to be a favourite – so perhaps the obliviate spell didn't fully work. I found a book in Knockturn Alley the following holiday which described the process.'

 _Merlin damn you, Slughorn! I know you were asleep this time, but really!_

Harry gave an abrupt nod to Shacklebolt and the Head Auror gave Arthur the antidote. As the potion took effect, an ugly look crossed the redhead's face as his clearing eyes focused once more and look towards the two law enforcers.

'You will be taken to a secure holding cell in an offsite location until we have prepared for releasing the souls. I will ensure that your cooperation in releasing the souls is on the official record,' Shacklebolt outlined as he stood up.

Harry followed his boss from the room, locking the door securely as he exited. They moved into the observation room, where they found Angelina turning off the recording equipment.

'No problems in here were there?' the Head Auror asked Angelina.

'It was all recorded smoothly,' she confirmed.

'Good. Well, it's late and you two have been working around the clock since arresting Arthur, go home and rest up. Tomorrow will be a busy day.'

'What about preparing for releasing the souls?' Harry asked.

'I'll set the wheels in motion. Now get out of here,' Shacklebolt replied.

Harry and Angelina nodded and left the Head Auror summoning a few Aurors to assist with transferring Arthur to the alternate location.

'I can't believe he thinks that he has helped all those people,' Angelina offered in a quiet voice as they walked towards the exit.

'Believe it, he can only tell his perceived truth under Veritaserum,' Harry muttered back.

'Listen, Harry, can I crash on your sofa tonight? I can't face Fred right now. He will know something is up, and I'm not allowed to mention anything. I don't want to have to lie…'

'Yeah, of course.'

When the two flooed into Harry's home, Harry ducked out of the room. Angelina started to collect the cushions to soften the sofa.

When he returned he offered her a vial. 'Calming Potion,' he clarified as he gulped down another.

'Thanks.'

'Err, Ang, what are you doing with the cushions?'

'Making a softer bed.'

'Don't be daft. Go and use the spare room you had last time you stayed, you muppet.'

'Oh, right. Forgot you had spare rooms.'

'Mf.'

'Night, Harry.'

'Night, Ang.'

Angelina disappeared up the stairs and Harry slumped into a chair, letting everything he had learned in the last few days wash over him. He buried his head in calloused hands, sliding his fingers through black, unruly hair and grasping the strands tightly, he tried desperately not to scream in frustration and anger. His eyes began to burn and a lone tear slipped over his eyelid and meandered down his cheek.

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 **A/N: Phew, a long chapter. Sorry to those of you holding out hope on Arthur's innocence or reduced culpability, alas it was not meant to be in this story - he truly believes that magic folk are better and his actions were right. As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! Almost at the end of the story, a couple of chapters to go. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **LanaLee1** [Thank you! Yes, they reappear in this one now that the Auror-only events are complete.]; **Grivek26** [Thank you! Hmm, probably not]; **StBerryFan22** [Don't worry, Hermione and Draco return below!]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [So many questions indeed. Hermione and the hospital return below. Yes you will see people with their souls back. The story is almost at its end, about 4000 pre-written words remain, unless I add some more chapters]; **Kermit304** [*stiffles own amusement*]; **Jordana Babe** [Thank you! Yes, Veritaserum does have its uses... apart from the obvious of telling the truth!]; **flame55** [Thanks! You'll find out :) ]; **La Parisienne** [Sounds interesting, send me a PM :) ]; **Chester99** [No one has told her, or Draco, yet.]; **pfanna** [Thank you! I'll admit Slughorn was an easy target to blame when I was trying to think of how a Arthur learned the dark magic. He lusted after Molly and saw the money as bonus that would help him integrate with others, but money wasn't the core reason - it was he duty to maintain the 'protective wall'.]; **ElectraAmethystBlack** [Why thank you!]; **morring star** [Will do :) ]; **niknik0201** [Thanks!]; **Neurotic-Martyr** [Thanks cobber!]; **Lioness32** [Enjoy!]; **minnymousemum** [Thanks!]; **pianomouse** [Thank you!]; **thatperfectsomeone** [hahaha]; **btvs22** [Thank you!]; **runningoutofice** [Thanks!]; **patty cake rocks** [Yes he is very prejudice]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Where's your faith in Fred :p I'm interested to know what name you come up with for Arthur!].

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 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

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The next day, Hermione was reading a message that she had just received.

Morning love,

I've just heard that the hospital will be approached to assist with the release of ten souls.

Love you, Draco.

 _It's about time!_

Hermione packed up her lunch and headed back to the Emergency Ward, wanting to ensure she was present when people were assigned to the victims. She only knew of one victim, Bellatrix Lestrange, and admitted to herself that she was curious about the others.

About thirty minutes after her arrival, the head of the hospital entered the ward and approached Healer Soundleaf. A few moments later, Healer Soundleaf was quickly summoning the working healers to her side.

'The Ministry has a situation and they expect they will need volunteer healers to assist with ten people. The issue seems to be related to dark magic, something similar to a long-term imperious, and handling possibly upsetting memories,' Healer Soundleaf explained.

'How do they know there will be ten injured ministry officials?' one of the healers asked.

'I never said they were ministry officials and I do not know. Anyone involved will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement,' Healer Soundleaf replied. 'I will say that there might be death eaters included, so if you have a desire not to work with them, then do not volunteer.'

'I volunteer,' Hermione said.

'Thank you. Anyone else? Five healers will be requested from the speciality dark curses ward, however it would be also good to have skilled emergency healers attending.'

Another three volunteered and soon the three volunteers, Healer Soundleaf and Hermione were following an unknown ministry official to a car and hopping in. Another five healers soon joined them and the car was off, slipping effortlessly through the London gridlock.

The car pulled up to a non-descript building.

'This isn't the Ministry,' one of the healers said.

'You don't say,' another replied sarcastically.

They were instructed to step out of the car and enter the building through a rusty door.

When they entered, Hermione was surprised to find that the building looked like a hospital: clean, bright, and white, with a distinct tang of disinfectant in the air. She could see her colleagues glancing around the room in surprise.

She quickly honed in on the centre of the room where there were ten people slumped on large soft chairs, although a few were bound to the furniture.

Harry, Shacklebolt, Angelina and Horthworth were standing with another five Aurors, wands held loosely in their hands.

 _Ready for trouble but not expecting any_.

Arthur Weasley was sitting in a clear plastic room. He appeared to be trying to communicate, but she couldn't hear anything.

 _Soundproofed room, I wonder why Arthur is in there. Unless… no! Surely not! There must be another explanation_.

Hermione soon spotted her husband, leaning against one of the walls. Next to him was a small, ornate box on a table. Draco appeared to be keeping an eye on the Aurors around the room, while maintaining the box in his view.

Glancing to see the Aurors, she felt irritation bubble in her chest as she saw them shooting suspicious glares at Draco.

 _Try anything against my husband and I will show you just why you don't piss off a healer._ _I know plenty of painful,_ _legal_ _spells used in medicine and, given the spells were designed for healing, there are no counter spells._

When she looked back towards Draco, she saw him smiling at her. She gave him a grin and then followed Healer Soundleaf to meet Shacklebolt.

'Thank you all for volunteering,' Shacklebolt said. 'First things first, please sign these forms stating you will not disclose anything you learn today, unless you are given express permission from the Minister.'

The healers nodded and quickly signed the documents, except Hermione - she actually read it before signing. When Hermione was done, the signed sheets where whisked away and Shacklebolt continued, 'You have been asked here today as a precaution. The ten sleeping people had their souls captured at some point in the last thirty years. Today, we are planning to release those souls.'

One of the healers thrust their hand into the air.

'Yes?' Shacklebolt asked.

'That's Bellatrix Lestrange,' the healer commented with an outranged voice.

'I am aware of the identities of all of the people with captured souls,' Shacklebolt replied coolly. 'Mr Malfoy, could you please explain the box to these healers and what we might expect.'

'He must have created it,' a healer muttered next to her, and Hermione shot a mild stinging hex at the healer who glared reproachfully in response. Hermione glared right back, daring the healer to comment further.

Draco walked over, floating the table with him. When it was safely set down, Draco outlined the box in a succinct and professional manner, not letting any emotion creep in. 'This is the Carterate Box. It was confiscated in a raid. Testing confirmed it contained dark spells and held ten souls: the seven wizards and three witches who you now see before you on these chairs.'

A few voices muttered at this announcement.

Draco continued on after they quietened. 'Arthur Weasley is the creator of this box and captured these souls.'

'That's ludicrous!' one of the healers objected, a few others nodded.

'The Aurors have confirmed it to be true,' Shacklebolt countered. 'Now please listen carefully.'

The healers quietened once more, although a few looked mutinous.

Draco continued, 'A capacity test showed that the soul's essence was captured for the purpose of control: that means Mr Weasley could basically re-program the way the person acted. The soul would be open to control from the moment they were captured and the person who captured them could change the personality at any point. Nine of the victims were highly anti-Muggle or anti-Muggle-born: Mr Weasley has confirmed that he forced this upon them. The exception is Mrs Molly Weasley—'

Gasped interrupted him once more, although this time Hermione was with the other healers. Sure enough, she spotted the Weasley matriarch slumbering. She turned back to face Draco and saw him biting his cheek with a scowl as he waited for the healers attention to settle once more.

'As I was saying, the exception is Mrs Molly Weasley, who started dating and married Mr Weasley a short time span after being captured. Those with captured souls may have realised what happened and fought the will of Mr Weasley, we cannot be sure who was able to do this of the nine, however we do believe that Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange did. For those aware of the control, we expect they may require greater medical assistance. We believe that the soul capture worked similar to that of the Imperious Curse, but we cannot be sure, as the spells used have not been documented within the last three hundred years.'

Shacklebolt nodded to Draco and then continued. 'When Mr Weasley releases the souls, we are not exactly sure what to expect, so we will have one ministry official and one healer per victim.'

Hermione was torn. She wanted to be the healer looking after Molly, however she feared for Draco's aunt if she was left in the hands of a reluctant healer. Sighing, she offered to be Bellatrix's healer, much to the obvious relief of a few others. Draco sent her a brief smile as he stood by the Carterate Box.

The healers spread themselves around the rest of the unconscious people.

Harry then stepped forward and gave a brief outline of each victims' history with the soul capture and how they had been controlled.

When he finished, he told the healers to get their wands at the ready.

The healers quickly nodded in unison to the Boy-Who-Lived's instruction and focused on their chosen patient.

Shacklebolt and Angelina appeared, half-dragging Mr Weasley from the room: immediately his ranting could be heard.

Hermione was staggered by the anti-Muggle drivel pouring from his lips as he spat abuse. When he saw her, he glared fiercely and started to hurl vitriol at her for trying to press her lowly Muggle culture on wizarding folk. Hermione stepped backwards, feeling like she had been slapped by the usually genial, and slightly dotty, father-like figure.

Eventually, the man was dragged into position next to Draco - who Arthur called a severe disappointment - and the old redhead was handed a wand to begin releasing the souls. Hermione wasn't sure how they had persuaded Arthur Weasley to release the victims, or why it had to be Arthur doing the task; but, under Draco's attentive stare, the man was pouring his magic at the little box.

With a bright purple light and a smell of cheese, the Carterate Box disintegrated. Arthur Weasley collapsed onto the ground and was quickly whisked back to his see-through room. The ministry officials immediately joined the healers beside the victims, Draco coming to her side.

A wind whipped around the room and light shot through the unconscious victims.

 _The souls are returning. I can actually see the souls!_

When a soul passed a body and disappeared, the body jolted. Hermione was focused on Bellatrix, waiting for her body to jolt in the same way.

 _First spell needs to be a diagnostic spell_. _Then, maybe, a calming spell._

Bellatrix jolted and her eyes widened, then dropped closed only a moment later. Hermione cast the diagnostic spell and waited for the results, foot tapping against the concrete floor.

When the results came through, she was relieved to see easily fixable physical damage, although the witch's mind might take some time to recollect. She began casting spells to heal the older witch. Ten minutes later, she was finished healing the physical problems and paused. She licked her lips.

 _The moment of truth. Time to wake her up._

'I am about to wake her,' Hermione warned Draco. He lifted his wand in response, ready to subdue his aunt if needed.

'Enervate,' Hermione whispered.

Bellatrix's eyes opened and focused. They held Hermione's own for a moment. The witch frowned, furrowing her brow. Her eyes travelled to the right and spotted Draco. Bellatrix's mouth opened and a shaky hand reached for him.

Draco stayed out of reach, watching calmly, although emotion was clear on his face.

'Dragon?' Bellatrix's voice cracked.

'Yes, Aunt,' he replied softly.

'My head feels…fuzzy,' the witch said.

Hermione cast a quick spell and said, 'It is just trying to adjust to the curse being removed, I'm not sure how long the sensation will last.'

Bellatrix looked back at Hermione when she spoke. Obviously trying to place her, but struggling.

'Curse?' she asked, looking back at her nephew.

'Your soul was stolen by Arthur Weasley.'

Bellatrix blinked a few times and then shook her head, as though trying to clear it.

'I think time is needed now, and counselling,' Hermione suggested quietly to Draco. He nodded and tilted his head in the direction of Shacklebolt.

Hermione picked up his meaning and quickly approached the Head of the Auror Department.

'Hermione, can I help you?' the Head Auror asked.

'I have done all I can for Bellatrix for now. She is confused and dazed, it will take time for her mind to balance out again. I suggest she is moved to St Mungo's for further treatment,' she replied.

'Hmm, I'm not sure that will be possible. She did, after all, commit many crimes.'

Hermione frowned. 'With all due respect, Auror Shacklebolt, her soul has been controlled by Arthur Weasley since she was at school. Mr Weasley was the one who planted the anti-Muggle disposition: whatever she did, he is the one accountable. In addition, Azkaban is not a place for healing, she will never recover if she is sent there in her current state. You called healers, now you need to listen to our advice: Bellatrix needs to be moved to St Mungo's. I imagine all the victims do.'

Shacklebolt pursed his lips and nodded. 'I will inform the Minister.'

Hermione nodded. 'I should also check on Mr Weasley, given he collapsed.'

Shacklebolt jumped and swore.

 _Clearly he forgot the man_.

'Please do,' he replied.

Hermione checked on the redhead, and - after establishing that his was just magically drained - moved back to her original patient who was watching Draco with confusion.

Eventually, all the victims were stabilised and moved to the Intensive Ward of St Mungo's, Hermione and her fellow healers attending to them on the way. The Ministry sent two Aurors to watch over the victims, while the others collected Mr Weasley and returned to the Ministry with Draco.

* * *

 **A/N: As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! I struggled a bit with this chapter, so hopeful you enjoy it: the Weasley's find out. Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **LanaLee1** [Thank you! Hmm, a hint to Bella in this chapter. Yes they are quite horrid, but at least Hermione gets a little revenge.]; **Grivek26** [Thanks!]; **CrazyPedantic** [Nice to see you back again :) Sadly it isn't only Wizarding Britain which is like that :( Yes, I enjoyed having Hermione send that stinging hex too! Hope you like the below chapter of reactions! Yes, it was a conflict, as Arthur has worked in the Ministry for so long it would be hard to find someone without one, so all they could really do was follow the rules as closely as possible - next edit I might add a few lines though]; **StBerryFan22** [Thank you! Poor Hermione, fortunately Ron chose to date her initially, not on orders of Arthur. Yes, Bella got a very raw deal this round.]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Haha, thank you! Molly will make an appearance soon.]; **Kermit304** [Haha, here it is!]; **Jordana Babe** [Haha, he will be punished, I promise! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter :) ]; **flame55** [Thanks]; **DisturbingVision** [Hints in the future]; **Chester99** [Molly makes an appearance later on, but hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime!]; **pfanna** [Haha, well Ron's reaction is below so you wont have to wait too long. Hmm... *ducks out to check on Bella at St Mungos*]; **LeonaMarsha** [Thank you! I'm glad you can XD ]; **niknik0201** [A hint to that in this chapter :) ]; **pianomouse** [a little will be shown.]; **DragonReadre99** [No, he found out in chapter 12 :) ]; **arabellagrace** [That will come up soon.]; **thatperfectsomeone** [Thanks! Can't have kick-ass Hermione dropping the ball.]; **cat130** [Thanks]; **patty cake rocks** [Enjoy!]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Haha, I like it XD ].

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 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Harry was trying to track down Shacklebolt to finalise the list of charges that would be examined in Arthur Weasley's upcoming trial. His hunt had led him trudding all the way down to the visitor meeting room in the Ministry.

He edged the door open slightly and glanced in, not wishing to interrupt if the meeting was highly important.

Harry sucked in a sharp breath and halted abruptly and hid behind the door; this was not a conversation he wished to be involved in.

The mass of collective red hair looked like waves of lava, the people attached to the vibrant colours looking impatient and harried. The dauntless Shacklebolt was standing in front of the entire Weasley family and, what looked like, Molly's parents. Scanning the group, he saw Mr and Mrs Prewett sitting primly on an old Ministry sofa, while Molly's children, their partners, and the grandchildren were all standing in front of the Head Auror.

'It is quite important and probably not something you would wish the children to hear,' Shacklebolt said.

'Kingsley, we have no-one else to leave the children with right now. You summoned us all here urgently and didn't say to leave the kids with other carers. Just tell us what is going on, I don't think-' a tired Bill replied.

'We should wait for Mum and Dad,' Percy cut over his brother in a pompous tone.

'Well, you can't say I didn't try,' Shacklebolt muttered. 'If that is the case with the children, then we needn't wait any longer as neither Arthur nor Molly are coming.'

'Has something happened to them?' Fleur asked with a concerned look, forearms folded and rubbing her upper arms. While she and Mrs Weasley had never really gotten along, Bill's parents were family.

 _Hades, they have no idea what's coming._

'Yes, this meeting is about Arthur and Molly.'

Harry shifted slightly, wanting to leave, but unable to draw himself away from the train-wreck that he was watching.

'If it's about my parents, maybe we should call Angelina and Harry in too,' Fred said.

 _Bugger._

'No, I'm afraid that is not appropriate,' the Head Auror countered.

 _Thank you, Shacklebolt! I'll never complain about you behind your back again._

'Fine, if no one else is joining us, then just tell us what you need to: you've been stalling for five minutes now,' Fred prompted.

Harry could just hear George mutter something about slipping Shacklebolt a babbling chocolate ball if he didn't hurry up and spill the news on his own.

Shacklebolt glared at George, but then his face softened into a look of pity.

'I'm very sorry to be the one to tell you this… A few months ago, an Auror raid found a dark arts box. The box contained captured souls.'

The listening group of adults stilled at the serious situation while the children looked on with glazed expressions at the grown-up conversation.

Shacklebolt continued in a low, smooth tone, 'The purpose of the box was to control the captured souls. The person who created the box used the captured souls to further their own cause and have what they wanted. The Ministry assigned our best resources to solve the case in both the Auror Department and the Department of Mysteries. The box was found to hold ten souls in total.'

Confused silence met his comments.

'It was created in Molly's finally year of Hogwarts by a fellow student who thought he was in love with her.'

Harry could see understanding starting to dawn on the faces of the people he considered family. The eyes of the siblings and their partners darted around the room, catching one another's eyes and sharing looks riddled by denial. Mr and Mrs Prewett stared straight at Shacklebolt with narrowing eyes.

'Are you saying that someone captured my mother's soul?' Bill growled.

'Yes,' Shacklebolt answered.

'Thank Merlin she married Dad instead,' Ron muttered with a frown. Mr and Mrs Prewett shot Ron a disparaging look and raised their chins in unison.

'The soul capture could not be fought successfully,' Shacklebolt added.

Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Ginny, and Terry's eyes widened before their faces darked. Ginny clutched tightly to her daughter who was wrapped by her arms.

'Are you saying what I think you are?' Ginny asked through clenched teeth.

'I believe so… I am sorry to say that among those souls captured by the box, your mother's soul was included. The person forced her to break her betrothal and run away with him to marry.'

Mr and Mrs Prewett jolted at the news while the others gasped.

'But-but she married Dad,' Ron stuttered with wide eyes.

'Yes, she did.' Shacklebolt stood silently, nodding at the questioning eyes.

'No,' Fred and George whispered in unison.

'I'm sorry, boys.'

'How are you sure?' Charlie asked.

'The souls have now been released, only the box creator was able to do that. We also have a statement under Veritaserum to confirm the actions from Arthur. Your father's involvement in the box is being kept silent until the trial, although, hopefully, it will remain that way. It will just cause more trouble if his identity is known.'

'Why would you protect that man, after what he did to our daughter?' Mr Prewett snapped.

The faces of the gathered group began to redden, breaths becoming forced and movements jagged. A few mouths began to open, but they were beaten to vocalising their turmoil first.

'Mummy, has Grandpop been naughty?' Ginny's daughter asked.

Harry's heart was almost crushed by the innocent question from the pure child.

'Oh!' Ginny gasped. Eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to maintain control in front of her daughter.

'Yes, cricket,' Terry answered for Ginny.

'Does that mean Grandpop is going to lose his toys?'

'In a way, cricket. What he did was very, very naughty: I don't think he will be able to come and play ever again.'

The girl's eyes widened to a size Harry had never seen before.

'Never ever?!' she asked.

'Sorry, cricket, I guess you'll just have to play with me instead,' Terry replied with a forced smile.

'Okay, but only if Uncle Fred and Uncle George do as well,' she bargained.

Harry saw Mr and Mrs Prewett watching the child with a hint of pride and amusement.

 _Hmm..._

'We will,' the twins answered together as Ginny turned her face and let the tears drop from her eyelids and run down her face. Fleur leaned over and dabbed a handkerchief against the salty droplets on Ginny's cheeks.

'I have no doubt that he will be spending the rest of his life in A.z.k.a.b.a.n,' Shacklebolt clarified in code for the benefit of the children.

Fleur and Terry immediately gather the children and ushered them to the other side of the room. Fleur, glancing back at the upset siblings, quickly added a strong silencing charm so that the adults couldn't be heard by the children. She conjured some butterflies and half-watched the children chase the sparkling magic, the rest of her focus was on the group across the room as she tried to read their lips.

'Surely there has been a mistake: someone has set up our father,' Percy said.

 _I'll wager that it's really your career that you're worried about._

Ron nodded at his side and the others looked on with a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

'There is no mistake. We are one hundred percent certain.'

'But, maybe one of the people you assigned had a grudge,' Percy added.

Ron's eyes narrowed suddenly. 'Who were these "best resources"?'

Shacklebolt frowned. 'I can assure you that the information is accurate.'

'What are you hiding?' Ron pushed.

'It is not important who the people were,' Shacklebolt replied with stern authority.

Fred and George had matching looks of contemplation, before George said, 'Harry is one of your best Aurors.'

 _Stop now._

'And Angie his partner,' Fred added.

'Harry has been working all-hours on something recently,' George offered. 'More than he normally does.'

 _Please._

'And Angie has been avoiding me,' Fred said.

'And neither are at this meeting,' George confirmed.

'And Angelina and Harry were visiting Dad about work the other day, after that, Mum and Dad disappeared on their "trip",' Ron put in.

 _Sod it._

Shacklebolt frowned at the three.

'Who do we think is the best in the Department of Mysteries?' Fred asked the group.

'Malfoy was requesting information on that box before I was suspended,' Ron said with a sneer.

 _Shit._

'Draco is reputably brilliant at his job,' George added.

'So, Harry and Angie were the Aurors and Draco was the Department of Mysteries addition,' Fred and George concluded, oblivious to their reddening little brother beside them.

Harry saw from the corner of his eye that Fleur added what looked to be a shielding spell to create a stronger barrier between the children and the adults.

Glancing back at the group, Harry winced. Ron was nearly purple and trembling slightly.

Jaw clenched, Ron hissed, 'Are you telling me that that bloody death eater was assigned to researching a dark arts box and that he "discovered" that it just happened to be created by a Weasley; someone he has hated since he was a child. I don't think so. It is obvious that he has set this up!'

 _Stop, Ron, you'll never get your job back if you do this!_

'Hades, how stupid are you all! I can't believe Harry and Angelina would be so dumb as to listen to that evil prat. If you don't arrest Malfoy for this, then I will make sure he is punished myself.'

Ron's siblings were watching him with pale faces, only Percy seemed lightened by Ron's speech. Mr and Mrs Prewett were now sneering openly at Ron and casting dubious glances at Percy.

'If that is true, then perhaps everything is not lost after all,' Percy muttered with a small smile.

'Ronald and Percy Weasley, I assure you that there has been no mistake or manipulation. The results are confirmed. Stop trying to blame Draco Malfoy. He did his job correctly and, before you get any more unfounded ideas, he wasn't even alive when your mother's soul was captured. I can assure you that the testing checks out.'

'Malfoy probably manipulated the data, you wouldn't even realise he did it,' Ron replied loudly. 'Surely there was more than one suspect!'

'I understand you are upset by the news, however it was not only Draco who did testing on the box: he narrowed the fields with the testing division of the Department of Mysteries. It was the Auror Department who investigated and confirmed it. The fact remains that it was Arthur who created the box.'

'No. I refuse to believe that!' Ron shouted, his magic going haywire and causing cracks to appear in the walls.

The children, cocooned behind protection spells, didn't notice. But the adults did, Bill sending a quick spell at Ron.

 _I understand Ron, it took me a long time to come around to the truth as well, but you have to calm down._

Ron sagged slightly, face losing some of its red.

 _Ah, a calming spell, nice work Bill._

'Believe what you wish, the facts cannot be changed, despite your erroneous thoughts. I would also remind you that there is an active restraining order against you from Mr and Mrs Malfoy, if you go near them or act against them, you will be stunned and arrested,' Shacklebolt reminded.

'Draco and Hermione have a restraining order against you?' Charlie asked.

'Ron attacked Draco and almost killed him,' Ginny clarified absent-mindedly for her brother who had been in Romania until the Ministry summons.

Mr and Mrs Prewett's jaws dropped and they stiffened minutely at the comments.

 _Do they think Ron is a miniature Arthur? I suppose he might be just as judgemental, if on a different topic, but he'd never plan and manipulate like Arthur. Whatever the Prewett's reason, they certainly don't seem to like him. Are they friends with the Malfoys? All the rich purebloods mingle at the charity parties, and Narcissa Malfoy is a charity force to be reckoned with these days. Narcissa is definitely the type of person who others now want to cultivate a friendship with: rich, single, saved me, and pureblood._

'Ron, you eejit, what were you thinking!' Charlie replied, his head shaking with disappointment.

'It wasn't my fault!' Ron answered loudly.

Harry rolled his eyes. _No, of course not, you accidentally harassed and tackled him - Ron you are so stupid sometimes._

'Anyway,' Shacklebolt broke in, 'I suggest that while you process Arthur's actions, you focus on your mother who has been a victim for around thirty years.'

'How is she?' Bill asked quietly, as Charlie pushed Ron down into the chair with a sharp 'shut up, we'll discuss this later' when the younger brother opened his mouth once more.

'Molly is in St Mungo's recovering along with the other nine victims. It will probably take her a long time to recover, she will need a lot of counselling and support. The soul capture changed her life dramatically. She is conscious and I am sure she would like to see you all.'

'What did he force mum to do?' Bill questioned.

'To break her betrothal with Lestrange, run away with himself, focus on having and raising a family instead of her Quidditch career—'

'Mum played Quidditch?' Ginny asked, recalling her mother's fears of her playing the dangerous sport at Hogwarts.

'Yes, she was signed to play for the Holyhead Harpies before she fell pregnant,' Mrs Prewett broken in.

'But she hated me playing, said it was too dangerous,' Ginny said with furrowed brows.

'That was probably the soul capture. Arthur used Molly to boost his image as a kindly man and as a vessel to enact unpopular decisions. She may have a very different personality now. I know it was on Arthur's orders that Hermione be kept from the family. It was also his orders that brought Hermione and Harry into your close family unit originally,' Shacklebolt clarified.

'Why did Dad do it?' Fred asked.

'Your father wanted to keep Muggle culture out of the Wizarding world,' Shacklebolt said.

'But Dad loves to tinker with Muggle things,' Percy replied with confusion.

'Merely to understand them so he could keep them out and twist people's perceptions of himself.'

'Did he force Mum to marry him?' Ginny asked with trepidation.

'Yes... He thought he loved her and was saving her from Lestrange. He also wanted the prestige and money that came from marrying a Prewett.'

'Did he force her to create us with him?' Ginny whispered.

Shacklebolt paused a long while before answering, 'He took away control of her soul and changed her wants - giving his own instead.'

Ginny gasped and her brothers looked slightly ill.

'It's okay to be confused: take some time and think things over, it will become clearer. In the meantime, visit Molly,' the Head Auror counselled.

The disorientated group nodded vaguely and Harry cast an invisibility charm on himself.

When the Weasley's had shuffled out of the room and down the corridor, Harry glanced back in. Mr and Mrs Prewett were standing before Shacklebolt.

'Will you be prosecuting Arthur Weasley to the fullest extent of the law?' came Mr Prewett's restrained voice.

'Arthur Weasley controlled ten people using the dark arts: that includes one former death eater. He will be responsible for crimes of creating and using the box, as well as the crimes committed by those under his control. It is extremely unlikely that he won't spend the rest of his life incarcerated.'

'Good,' Mr Prewett replied. 'I look forward to him rotting in Azkaban for what he did to our daughter. We will no doubt be seeing you again soon.'

'Good day, Mr Prewett, Mrs Prewett,' Shacklebolt replied with a nod.

The two parents left the room, sweeping passed a hidden Harry.

'You can come out now, Harry,' Shacklebolt called.

Removing the invisibility charm, Harry shuffled around the corner with a sheepish look.

'You forget that I taught you everything you know about stealth.'

'I need you to check the list of charges we are bringing against Arthur,' Harry replied as he pulled the parchment from his pocket, eyes focused to the parchment and looking a little green.

Shacklebolt looked over the four page list with a serious expression. 'Yes, that looks like everything.'

'Thanks, I'll get this formalised and have it sent to your office for signing.'

'Harry. Did you want to join me for the discussions with the other families?'

Harry thought about all the anger and tears that was bound to occur in that meeting as direct family members were told about their kin.

'No.'

'Then I suggest you beat a hasty retreat, the family members should be arriving in a few minutes.'

Harry nodded and quickly headed back to his office to formalise the charges list.

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Weasleys' and Prewetts'! As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! Some of you have been waiting for the Molly and her children scene - here it is! For those glaring and waiting for some more Hermione/Draco fluff, it will arrive shortly XD . Happy reading!

For the reviewers: **LanaLee1** [Haha, sorry, I can't punish Percy for thoughts]; **Grivek26** [Thanks]; **CrazyPedantic** [Thank you! Yes, they don't see much value in Ron or Percy.]; **StBerryFan22** [You'll find out, I say chirpily - fortunately for you, you find out in the below chapter XD ]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Thanks :) Next chapter - promise!]; **Kermit304** [How about Molly? She is below.]; **ElizaLane** [Thank you!]; **padfootsgrl79** [Ron already knows about the two - chapter 12]; **Dramonie101** [Awkwardness below XD ]; **flame55** [Thanks]; **DisturbingVision** [Haha, sadly there won't be any thoughts of the Weasley's - only Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Ron get that privilege]; **SerenaFair** [Thank you!]; **minniemousemum** [Thanks!]; **Neurotic-Martyr** [Glad you enjoyed it! Molly below, Hermione and Draco back in the next chapter.]; **Chester99** [Haha, yes Harry is wisely ducking out]; **btvs22** [Molly below!]; **pfanna** [bahaha, well played! Well, I guess you will get a hint below]; **ijollif** [Thank you!]; **niknik0201** [A reunion, of sorts, below!]; **Honoria Granger** [Thank you!]; **pianomouse** [Enjoy!]; **arabellagrace** [Yeah, so much damage by Arthur's thoughtlessness :'( ]; **thatperfectsomeone** [Thanks]; **patty cake rocks** [I have o be consistent *picks some imaginary lint off shirt*]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [Maybe, maybe not XD ].

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 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

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The last two weeks had swept by in a blaze of activity. After a couple of days to sleep off the energy potions, Draco had finished his work on the Carterate Box: basically just writing up his comprehensive report for the trial, given the box had disintegrated into nothing when Arthur released his wife and the other souls. Hermione had been almost overwhelmed by patients in the busy Emergency Ward, as a few of the staff had been moved to assist in the Intensive Care Ward with the ten victims.

Hermione had been allowed to visit the victims who were regaining their mental faculties. All were appalled at their actions while being controlled. She'd learnt that the spell which held the souls had made the victims slightly aware of what was happening while holding them in a dreamlike state, watching through a fog.

The Ministry had managed to keep the story of Arthur Weasley's involvement quiet – somehow – but had made sure that everyone in the Wizarding world knew the ten victims had been controlled. The ward with the victims was basically locked down, as reporters tried increasingly devious and ingenious methods to gain entry to learn and publish stories. Only immediate family and cleared hospital staff were allowed inside - after been screened for concealment spells and potions - to visit under close monitoring.

Bellatrix was devastated to find thirty years had passed and all that she had seen was real. Her sentence was revoked by the Minister on Shacklebolt's instance - given Arthur's confession under Veritaserum - however her magic was to be monitored for the rest of her life. Bellatrix had hesitantly written to her sisters to beg their forgiveness. The two sisters had arrived only an hour after the letters had been sent, heartily forgiving their sister and apologising for not having realised that Bellatrix was being held in a soul capture since their youth. They said they had only held off from visiting earlier as they were unsure if their sister wished to see them after they had failed her. Narcissa and Andromeda had been constant visitors since that day, helping to encourage and re-ground Bella into the fog-free world.

Draco maintained a tentative relationship with his aunt: cognisant that she had been controlled, but aware that she would face many anti-Muggle-born struggles in the coming months, even years: she had, after all, been subjected to Azkaban for decades, served Voldemort with a glee that was not her own, and fought a soul capture for thirty years. He reckoned that it was bound to destabilised his aunt for a while. Bellatrix was determined to win her nephew and his wife over: starting her mission by saying that she planned on taking a six-month holiday in the Muggle world to learn more about non-magic folk the moment that she was given the all-clear by St Mungo's. Her determination had heartened Draco, but Hermione knew that her husband was nervous about making any plans at this early stage.

Hermione had taken considerable time to emotionally distance herself from the torture and scaring that she had undergone at the hands of Bellatrix. She felt that she was making inroads into the separation of the action from the person, but she, Bellatrix and Draco all knew that it would be a long and difficult road until she was comfortable with her aunt-in-law. But it was a road that Hermione knew would be worth the effort.

Molly was torn by what had happened to her. She was happy that she had such loving children, but hurt that she had been controlled. Grateful to have avoided life as a death eater's wife, which no doubt would have happened if she hadn't broken her betrothal, but unhappy she had been forced to give up her career and marry someone she did not truly love. She had known in school that Arthur had lusted after her and wanted the power of the Prewett name to back him. Her only mild solace on that latter point, was that he was very disappointed when her family cut her off: of course, that came with the bitter pill that her family had abandoned her and not realised what had happened to her soul. Fortunately, when Molly's parents had discovered what had happened, they immediately bombarded the St Mungo's receptionist until they had been admitted to seeing their daughter. Molly and her parents were now working on rebuilding their relationship and bringing their daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren back into the Prewett fold. The Prewetts had decided not to mention their hesitance concerning Ronald, and perhaps Percy, to Molly: deciding to wait it out - given the current turmoil - and see if the boys would improved under their influence. Given the research they had undertaken, Mr and Mrs Prewett doubted sufficient improvement of Ronald could occur, but that was a task for later.

The Weasley matriarch had apologised profusely to Hermione, saying that Arthur had 'encouraged' her to adopt Harry and Hermione with insincere intentions, but she had truly loved the two. After the event with Ron, Arthur had ordered she insist to the family that Hermione be cut out of their lives like a tumour. She had fought it, apparently been very sick for the entire month that Hermione had remained in England, but she couldn't fight the hold of the Carterate Box. The older lady also apologised for not punishing her son for his abominable treatment of her: Arthur had ensured she would fiercely back her family.

Molly's reunion with her children, in-laws, and grandchildren had been mixed. Hermione had been engaging in a stilted visit with Bellatrix when the group san Ron (who could not come near Hermione as the restraining order was still in effect) had arrived in the large visiting room. The matriarch's children had all looked sheepish and uncertain – a look she had only ever before seen on Ron and Ginny's faces.

Bill had looked extremely guilty and apologised for ruining her Quidditch career. That had been all it had taken for Molly to straighten her back, place her hands on her hips and say, 'Do not be so ridiculous! You are my children and I love you all. I want to hear no more apologies from any of you on this topic. What Arthur did was reprehensible, but do not think that it in any way reduces the love I have for any of you.'

When still hesitant faces looked at the matriarch, she had scowled at them and demanded a hug.

The group had smiled unsurely and engulfed their mother with glittering eyes. When the eventually pulled back with some tears on their faces, Molly added, 'There will, of course, be a few changes in the future. Firstly, I am going to be visiting you all for one month each – Fred and George, this means two months since you live together: this way we can strengthen our relationships. Secondly, the family lunches will require each person to bring one dish. Those who cannot cook will take lessons so that we are not all sick the following day – Ginny, I am looking at you. Thirdly, Hermione is family and will be treated like family. Fourthly, if you need a babysitter you can hirer one: I'm happy to play with my grandchildren and help out occasionally, but I'm not a nanny. Finally, when you play Quidditch, I'll be playing chaser.'

'Fine, but the teams will be uneven,' Bill added.

Molly smiled smugly. 'Draco can no doubt play a position: Hermione is family and he is her husband, I expect you to welcome him like proper hosts if he and Hermione join us for lunch.'

Fred and George grinned.

'If you prank Draco, be prepared for him or Hermione to retaliate,' Molly said to her twins with a knowing look as she subtly swipped the always-present bag of trick lollies out of Fred's robe pocket.

The twins blinked slightly.

'Well, where did you think you got your pranking gene from?' Molly retorted.

When the twins jaws dropped open, Molly had reacted instantly by flicking a lolly in each of their hanging mouths with a cheeky smile.

Since then, Molly's children had since visited every few days – apparently on a rotation of some sort. A prank war had begun between Molly and the twins: the lady's most successful, although slightly cruel, being when she coveted away a bandage and wrapped it around her head, pretending when the identical boys arrived (in switched jumpers) that she had hit her head and lost her memory. George had retaliated by returning the next day with half a missing arm - a new invisibility cream that made it look like you had lost a limb.

Ron had visited his mother when Hermione was out of the hospital. Apparently, Molly had apologised to him for not taking him to hand when he cheated on Hermione. When Ron had defended his actions, she had apparently explained in great length to Ron why his actions were not appropriate and poorly looked down on by pureblood families. She had then begun the process of educating him in the pureblood customs that Arthur had overlooked and Ron had not picked up at school. Ron had only visited once since that day, dragged along with Charlie.

Harry had also visited the lady on Hermione's insistence. Harry had been hesitant, given what he had learned from Arthur, and extremely relieved when Molly had corrected his assumption that she didn't care for him. He was promptly ordered to bring a plate to the next family lunch.

The matriarch had spoken at length to her children about the Burrow: the place that was both somewhere she had experienced love and entrapment. She couldn't bring herself to sell it, it was the place her children had grown up. A councillor had suggested that she gift it to one of her children, now that she had access to her Prewett money. She told each of her children separately of her plan to move and asked they consider who could make best use of the home. Molly figured that Bill would not be interested, nor Charlie, as they both lived overseas. The twins might be interested in somewhere that had space for explosions. Ginny might want a larger place for herself and her daughter. And Ron might want a place in the quiet of the country to reconsider his life. Whatever the solution, Molly knew that there was plenty of time to decide.

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 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this one - Hermione and Draco in the next chapter! As always, if you see any Oxford English punctuation/grammar corrections, please PM me so I can fix them up. Otherwise, reviews and favouriting make me ever so happy :D**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness! This is the last chapter until the epilogue. Sadly there was a technical issue and this chapter lost the updates I made - I've done my best to fix it back up... if you recall something I've missed, please let me know. Happy reading!

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 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you though of the story which is now finished!  
**

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Dropping the last item from her hospital locker into her bag, Hermione swung it over her shoulder.

She was finally going home to France!

It had been a far more eventful transfer than Hermione had anticipated, and she was glad it was over. She missed the quiet bustle of the French hospital she worked in. The hospital which smelt of vanilla and where she was treated as a highly competent professional, rather than St Mungo's, which reeked of overbearing disinfectant and people either fawned over her for being a member of the Golden Trio or sneered at her for her Malfoy surname.

Wondering down the hall, she saw Hannah leaving a patient room.

'Hannah!' Hermione called softly.

'Hi! Sorry I couldn't make lunch today, I've been swamped,' Hannah replied with a tired cheerfulness. 'Tomorrow?'

'Actual, today is my last day,' Hermione replied.

'What‽ I thought you were here for a total of three months‽'

'Originally, yes. However, given Draco was put in hospital, we renegotiated his transfer to end when the case he was helping out with was completed, so I've just cleared out my locker.'

'Oh,' Hannah said, a disappointed look crossing her features. 'I'm surprised the hospital didn't try to tempt you into staying permanently.'

'They did, but Draco and I both have lives in France and we love living there: this was always just a temporary move.'

'I know, but you can't blame me for hoping,' Hannah replied with a sweet smile.

'Not at all, and I'm just across the channel: it's a quick trip. Surely, I can persuade you and Neville to visit us,' Hermione cajoled.

'Definitely, in fact, after my baby is born you might find it hard to get rid of me,' Hannah laughed.

Leaning forward, Hermione quickly wrapped the other girl in a tight hug. 'I'll miss you, Hannah. I'm really glad we had the opportunity to become such good friends.'

'You too, Hermione,' the nurse replied.

Hermione pulled back and swiped a finger under her eyes. 'Okay, I'm going to go before I turn into a complete waterworks. I'll see you soon.'

'Bye, Hermione, and take care of yourself.'

'You too, and the baby!' Hermione waved before continuing down the corridor.

* * *

When she arrived home, she found her husband packing up the last of their belongings into boxes.

'It's disturbing how much we have accumulated in such a short time,' he said when he heard her footsteps.

'I blame you, I never used to buy so many unnecessary things until I met you,' Hermione teased.

'You bought books,' he retorted, ducking on instinct as he spoke.

Thump.

A book dropped to the floor from where it had hit the wall above Draco's crouched body. He grabbed the book and dropped it into the box he was packing, before straightening and glancing at his wife. 'You are so predictable, love.'

'Prat,' Hermione muttered.

Draco chuckled as he moved over and kissed her hello. 'Your books are not useless,' he assured.

'I know that,' she said with a pout.

'Good, and since you know that I also know that, you will forgive me and maybe we can make use of the kitchen counter one last time,' his voice dropping to a husky tone as he finished his thought.

'Hmm, I suppose it would be waste not to take the opportunity,' she said with a growing smile.

'My thoughts exactly,' he replied as he stepped her backwards towards the kitchen. He quickly settled her on the counter and was kissing her passionately, hands trailing over her body, when the wards tinged and a knock at the front door soon followed.

'Sod it,' Draco muttered.

Hermione groaned in agreement as she pushed him away and made herself presentable. She moved to the front door, closing the kitchen door on her way, so Draco's more obvious state wasn't in plain view.

Swinging open the front door, she was surprised and a little irritated to find the identity of the interrupter.

'Fred, George. What can I do for you?'

'Hmm, looking a little ruffled there, Hermione,' Fred said.

'Indeed, where is your good husband?' George added.

'I think we may have interrupted something.'

'Do you think? Oh dear!'

'But they are interrupted now. The mood gone.'

'Poof.'

'Well we may as well stay then,' Fred reasoned.

Hermione's cheeks had lit with a light glowing red as the twins discussed their timing.

'Yes, you did interrupt something, so kindly go away,' Draco's voice came from the kitchen doorway, where he was now looking presentable, if slightly annoyed.

'We just wanted to let you know,' started George.

'On behalf of the Weasley's that matter,' continued Fred.

'We are very sorry and welcome you back as a Weasley.'

'Hermione.'

'Just Hermione?'

'I suppose Draco can be an honorary member too.'

'You sure?'

'Mum will hurt us if I say no.'

'Good point, Fred,' replied George.

'Just because you two are twins, does not mean you can't just elect one of you to say a message,' Draco said.

Sounds of horror came from the twins.

'Did you hear that, Fred?' George asked.

'I most certainly did, George,' Fred replied.

'So rude,' they said in unison.

Hermione and Draco rolled their eyes.

'We will arrange a lunch for everyone in France so we can talk then,' Hermione said to the twins.

'Everyone?' they asked together.

'Well, everyone who can come,' Draco clarified, careful not to mention specific names.

Arthur was obviously siting in Azkaban and would be for the rest of his life thanks to the Wizengammot ruling. And Draco and Hermione had restraining orders against Ronald, something they were extremely thankful for given he now had the outcome of the investigation into the attack on Draco: Ron had been fired without benefits, he would never work in the Ministry or a related organisation ever again. When Ronald heard the news he had stormed from his boss' office and headed to Diagon Alley. In the quaint, busy area, Ronald had exploded thanks to some overheard words. He had ranted and raved about what happened and how it was incredibly unfair. Unfortunately, Ronald was extremely non-discrete and had been overheard by a report. The reporter, who quite liked attending Narcissa Malfoy's soirees and wasn't about to loose that access, refrained from mentioning Draco or Hermione, but did go to town on Ronald. It would be a miracle if anyone employed him in a well-paid or glamorous position for a long, long time.

Fred and George nodded, admittedly the twins were still reeling from their harmless dad having done what he did, but they had quickly sided with their mother and expressed outrage for controlling her.

'Right, I suppose we will be off then,' Fred said.

'Unless you would like us to stay,' George offered.

'No,' Draco replied instantly, uncaring of the smack on the chest he received from Hermione for his response.

Hermione gave the twins a hug. Draco, more wary of being a pranking target, settled for a handshake.

The twins grinned and disappeared a moment later.

Draco immediately started to seduce his wife once more. When she was back on the counter, he discovered a problem. He couldn't touch his wife's skin.

'Bloody Weasleys!' he snarled and he pulled away.

Hermione gave him a perplexed look, so he showed her the problem. Whenever his hand neared her skin, without the barrier of clothing in between, his hand was pushed away by an invisible force.

'Those two are going to regret this,' he added.

Hermione sighed and slipped off the counter.

'Where are you going?' he asked.

'Well, it kind of stops our plans,' she replied, gesturing to his pranked hands.

'The hell it does,' he replied, tossing her dress back on her and lifting her back to the counter.

Two hours later, a more relaxed but still irritated blond was at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

'Hi, Draco,' Fred said.

'Fancy seeing you here,' George added.

'Although, I'm surprised it took you so long,' Fred finished with a grin.

'You two are absolute asses. Why would you do that‽' Draco snarled.

'Do what? We're innocent,' the replied together.

'I doubt you were even innocent in your mother's womb. Remove the jinx or whatever it is you put on me,' Draco demanded.

The twins sniggered. 'And if we don't?'

Draco glared. 'I can't touch my wife,' Draco snapped.

'Okay, fine, fine, just because we understand the horrible plight you must feel. But first, any side effects from our new invention?' George asked.

'Apart from not being able to touch me wife,' the blond growled.

'What did you two do?' a female voice said from behind Draco, causing the three to turn, the twins gulping when they saw their girlfriends, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina.

Fred quickly put something on his hand and shook Draco's hands. 'All fixed,' he whispered to the blond.

'It better be, because I just found your kryptonite,' he replied quietly, before raising his voice and saying to the ladies, 'They are all good. See you in France.'

With that, Draco departed to store and headed home, to check the prank was removed before they finished packing. The prank retaliation could be planned later.

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 **A/N:** ** **Sadly there was a technical issue and this chapter lost the updates I made - I've done my best to fix it back up...** **if you recall something I've missed, please let me know**. The epilogue is next: happy reading XD**


	35. Chapter 35 - Epilogue

**A/N:** Wow! What fun this one has been! Thank you for all the reviews/favouriting/following goodness - it is all truly inspirational and keeps me updating and writing! From your efforts the story had 466 reviews, became a favourite for 236, and enticed 572 followers! I'm thrilled so many so you have enjoyed this story. But, alas, it must come to an end: the epilogue is below! Happy reading!

For the reviewers, sorry about the missing comments last time - I swear I wrote them, but it looks like the save didn't work *shudders at what might have been lost from the story - too scared to look!*. Thank you to everyone for the support and charming or witty reviews - they really helped me keep posting as regularly and frequently as possible. THANK YOU! XD

 **LanaLee1** [Thanks a very nice thought, I hope so too, but it will be a long road before she trusts again, I daresay. Thank you for the constant reviews, they really helped and are very useful in spotting bits and pieces to add before posting a chapter!]; **Baileyh2014** [Thank you!]; **CrazyPedantic** [Very true, although I don't think she will ever give up on Ron - as her parents gave up on her and I don't think she would follow - but he is doing a diligent job in avoiding her for now]; **StBerryFan22** [Ha, looks like the technical issues were going around! Thank you! Glad to hear that you liked Ron's punishment XD]; **MalesClaceWessaSydrianDramonie** [Not really much more Bella, and the meeting in France, no, there is something much more important XD ]; **Kermit304** [Thank you!]; **padfootsgrl79** [You wouldn't be the first to forget that chapter!]; **flame55** [Thank you!]; **DisturbingVision** [Thank you!]; **Bswifty1997** [Thank you!]; **Neurotic-Martyr** [Haha, yes I thoughts some happiness would be needed as I wind up the story]; **Grovek26** [Thank you!]; **Chester99** [Yes, sadly they have yet to find a cure for mental horrors in my magical world :( But she will get better!]; **btvs22** [Thanks! I like the idea of the twins able to express themselves completely around their mum]; **Ilovejayderpeyter** [Thank you!]; **pfanna** [Thanks! Of course they got tow months - they are two people XD And you thought Fred and Ang woyuld have trouble - I would never!... err, well except for the... and the... *blinks owlishly*]; **dixie326** [Haha, a prank war between those four would be brilliant!]; **niknik0201** [And the two will continue to get better! I do like the twins - but they have a bit of a death wish]; **cat130** [Thank you!]; **Honoria Granger** [Thank you for all your reviews!]; **pianomouse** [Haha, they be smart lads!]; **arabellagrace** [I think those are very wise words]; **thatperfectsomeone** [Thank you! Haha, poor Draco - I daresay he will figure out some revenge from his Slytherin handbook if his imagination fails him]; **patty cake rocks** [Who else could the pranking gene be from ;) ]; and **LittlebigmouthOK** [*drools at the thought of that for lunch.. hmm, the shops aren't that far...* Thanks, yes the reporters know what is good for them. Oh, For the best! I do love that story... *scuffs shoe in the dust*...um ... *grins innocently*].

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 **Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter etc etc. Please don't sue me!**

 **Please review and let me know what you though of the story which is now finished!  
**

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 **\- Epilogue -**

 **One month later**

Hermione was on the floor, wrestling Crookshanks to the ground.

 _Dratted cat, stay still. This is important!_

She finally managed to wrangle the cat to stay still for long enough to attach a small item to his collar. Pulling back, her disgruntled cat immediately sat up and bounced onto the back of the sofa, a resentful glare in her direction as he watched to make sure Hermione didn't try to grab him again.

'Oh, stop looking at me like that,' she huffed. 'If you had stayed still like I asked, I wouldn't have had to pin you to the floor.'

Crookshanks lifted his paw and started to lick it, keeping his narrowed eyes fixed on her.

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up. Maybe she should have just gone with a different idea. She brushed the cat fur from her clothes and poured a glass of wine, bringing it to her lips. Quickly, she placed it back on the table with a whack.

 _Ugh, I can't drink that_.

She poured a second glass, this time juice, and took a mouthful to quench her dry, fur-lined throat.

Hearing a pop, she moved to the front room to greet Draco; taking the wine for him to drink instead.

'Hi, love, how was your day?' she asked.

'Good! I'm glad to back to working in France, things just move seamlessly in comparison.'

'After a month I would have thought you would be used to it again by now.'

'It still makes me happy, distance makes the heart grow fonder and all that rot,' he added with a shrug.

Hermione smiled and passed him the wine glass.

He gave her a confused look. He sniffed it tentatively and raised an eyebrow.

'What?' she asked.

'Should I be hunting for poison or something. I swear I don't know what I did.

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'You didn't do anything to deserve a potion in the drink.'

'Then what did you do?' he asked suspiciously.

'Honestly, it's not like I've never brought you a drink.'

'But it is like you have never brought me a drink without it being a special occasion or having done something you really shouldn't have... You didn't convert my broom cupboard into book storage did you‽'

Hermione whacked him in the arm with a scowl.

'Alright, alright, I'm sorry. So why am I getting a glass of wine then?'

'I just poured it and realised I couldn't stomach it,' she replied.

'Oh, well that's boring.'

Hermione gave him a withering glare and placed her hands on her hips. Draco flashed a quick grin in response and took a drink as he moved to the sofa. Crookshanks glared at him and swatted at his head.

Draco swatted the cat back and Crookshanks jumped down and settled on his lap as Draco scratched the orange-menace's neck.

Hermione huffed. 'Crooks isn't supposed to like you more than me.'

'You treat him too nicely,' Draco replied.

Hermione's mind flashed back to a few minutes ago when she was holding the cat to the floor. 'I doubt that's the reason,' she replied.

As Draco scratched the cat, his finger brushed something unexpected on his collar. He looked down and noticed an item attached to the collar. 'Hold still, Crooks,' he muttered, as he put the glass down and detached the strange object.

Lifting up the item, his brow furrowed. A baby pacifier. He glanced at Hermione who was standing in front of him, smile on her face.

'Is this—?' he began.

Hermione nodded.

'Are you—?'

'We,' Hermione said cheerfully.

'We're having a baby‽' he gasped.

'Yes, Daddy, we are,' she laughed at his wide eyes.

'That's wonderful news!' he cried out in delight, jumping up and lifting Hermione off her feet, spinning her around and around. He eventually put Hermione down and kissed her gently on the lips.

'I'm one month pregnant, I think we have Fred and George to thank for that.'

Draco smiled wildly. 'I'll have to let them know,' he replied cheekily, imagining the twins faces when they discovered that fact that their prank had a side-effect of fertility. _This could even be a sweeter revenge than they had planned_ , he thought.

'Then we had best go and celebrate,' he whispered in her ear as he lifted her up and her legs wrapped around him.

Hermione laughed loudly as he quickly carried her to the bedroom.

It goes without saying that in the months that followed, Hermione was glowing with happiness; when she wasn't experiencing morning sickness, aching joints, a constantly-kicking baby, or in labour. A beautiful baby girl was born one week early - to the nervous panic of Draco - however, following Hermione's pre-written instructions he was able to care for the baby while Hermione recovered.

The Weasleys (san Ron and Arthur) came to celebrate the baby's birth and brought a mass of gifts with them. Molly confiscated the twins prank toys from the pile, however slipped one of her own prank creations into the pile instead. Hermione's spell identified the prank toy immediately… she is still planning sufficient retribution on the twins who continue to plead innocence with little effect.

Harry also came to celebrate, with the love-of-his-life – the person whose bed he had rolled out of that hectic morning so long ago. He had suggested the name Harriet for the baby and had been promptly thrown from the room by Draco. The little girl was instead named Lucy Helen Malfoy; after a white dwarf star and Hermione's mother.

Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bella attended as well. Bella brought a Muggle gift for the child, something she was assured was always vogue in the Muggle world by the sales assistant. Narcissa and Andromeda had handed over a booklet of 'I owe yous' to the couple, filled with baby-sitting and errand running promises.

And Hannah and Neville had sent their well-wishes, their own child being sick at the time – having just joined day care.

Of course, they also had their French friends supporting them as well. Draco took a year of paid leave off work, an entitlement thanks to Ron's hot-headedness, so he was thrilled to spent the extra time with his little family.

Yes, life was good for Draco, Hermione and little Lucy. Their past worries behind them, they were able to move on with their happy lives, now fully supported by friends and family.

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 **A/N: Thank you all again for reading my story: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. If you like my stories, keep an eye on my profile as I intend to publish more. Thank you all again - you have been wonderful! Happy reading XD**


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